Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that in the digital age, theatres and cinemas are no longer important as people can watch all the entertainment they want online. Others argue that theatres and cinemas are still important both economically and culturally.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

In this modern era, some individuals say that theatres and cinemas are no longer important as everything is accessible through social media. However, others argue that cinemas and theatre are still important both culturally and economically. In this essay I will discuss both sides of the argument and draw a conclusion.

Firstly, with the advancement of technology, individuals have a lot of social media exposure nowadays. Everything is easily accessible through various applications in the mobile phones and laptops. Let's take an example of Netflix that is the most used paid application for entertainment purpose throughout the world. Moreover, there are more free applications where people can watch movies of their own choice. People usually prefer watching movies at home in a comfortable environment and free of cost. For example, many citizens cannot afford cinemas tickets. As a result, people avoid visiting theatres. From my opinion, I think that it is more flexible and convenient to watch movies at home instead of visiting a theatre because of the comfortable environment. As cinemas are mostly over crowded due to which many people avoid it.

On the other hand, there is a vast majority of people who argue that cinemas and theatres have cultural and social benefits. Cinemas are a major source of exploring different cultures and traditions. For example, it helps us in becoming social by interacting with different people. Furthermore, cinemas and theatres play a vital role in a country's economy. As people visit theatres, they pay for the ticket and as a result it creates employment opportunities as well as generate revenue for both businesses and governments.

In conclusion, although it is a common belief that cinemas and theatres are beneficial in terms of social and cultural factors. I believe that it is more convenient to watch movies at home because there are fewer distractions and people can enjoy entertainment without spending money on tickets.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the view that theatres are no longer important due to online entertainment and the view that they remain culturally and economically significant. A clear position is stated in the introduction and reinforced in the body paragraphs and conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive in places. For instance, the discussion on online viewing focuses heavily on cost and convenience without exploring broader societal shifts, and the personal opinion overlaps heavily with the first body paragraph. While all task requirements are covered adequately, pushing the ideas further with deeper analysis or concrete examples regarding the cultural impact would elevate the response. Overall, the task is addressed satisfactorily, achieving a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised logically with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the text, such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes mechanical or abrupt, as seen in the transition 'Let's take an example of Netflix', which is slightly informal and disjointed. Furthermore, the concluding sentence structure in the final paragraph is slightly fragmented with 'I believe that it is more convenient to watch movies at home because there are fewer distractions and people can enjoy entertainment without spending money on tickets.' Despite these minor flaws, the overall progression is clear, supporting a Band 6.5 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic essay, incorporating terms such as 'advancement of technology', 'cultural and social benefits', 'employment opportunities', and 'generate revenue'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with varying degrees of success. There are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'social media exposure' when referring to streaming platforms like Netflix, and 'cinemas tickets' instead of 'cinema tickets'. Spelling is generally accurate throughout the response. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, though greater precision and natural collocation would be required for a higher band, placing this firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and relative clauses. There are instances of good grammatical control, such as 'As people visit theatres, they pay for the ticket and as a result it creates employment opportunities'. However, several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings persist, such as 'in the mobile phones' (preposition error), 'From my opinion' (lexico-grammatical error; should be 'In my opinion'), and punctuation issues with fragmented sentence separation in the conclusion. Error-free sentences are frequent, but the recurring minor errors in prepositions and phrasing prevent the grammar from reaching a Band 7.0.

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