Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19
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 5.5)
Many people argue that theatres and cinemas are no longer necessary as entertainment is availabe via online, whereas others believe that they are necessary for both financiallyy and traditionally. Although entertainment is available through online, I believe entertainment should be available in theatres as it is economically beneficial for producers.
Firstly, providing entertainment through online platforms can reduce the films overall collections. This is because in online platforms the movie can be easly shared with many people and can reduce the overall income which comes from subscriptions. For instance, a group of friends can watch a movie or any entertainment shows in a single platform. As a result, more people are able to watch any entertainment stuff with a singular subscription leading to low profits.
On the other hand, some people believe that entertainment should available in theatres as it is beneficial for overall collections. This is because the movies which are generally good can able to pull wide range of audience to the theatres, which increases the movie collections. For example, with large collections for a particular movie able to provide huge margins and profits for the producers, With these, i believe that theatres and movies are still important in terms of mass euphoria created by fans as well as for producers.
In conclusion, digital platforms able to help the people to watch with movies and entertainment in a group with single subscription and save money, I believe that movies and theatres are important to celebrate their favourite hero's movie and create plethora of collections for the producers.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views outlined in the prompt, discussing the online entertainment shift alongside the economic and cultural importance of physical venues. A clear personal position is presented, stating that theatres remain economically beneficial and culturally significant. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the economic argument relies heavily on the notion of shared subscriptions reducing box-office collections without expanding further into production costs or cinema experiences. The cultural aspect is mentioned briefly in the conclusion regarding mass euphoria, but it is not fully integrated into the body paragraphs. Consequently, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, alongside paragraphing that separates distinct arguments. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'Firstly' and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, expressions like 'through online' are used repeatedly rather than 'online' or 'via digital platforms', which affects the natural flow. Additionally, the progression within paragraphs occasionally loops back on the same point regarding subscriptions rather than moving forward logically to new sub-arguments. Overall, these cohesion issues align with a Band 6.0 performance.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'plethora of collections' and 'mass euphoria'. However, there are notable word choice and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'availabe', 'financiallyy', 'easly', and 'stuff', which is too informal for an academic essay. Collocations are sometimes awkward, such as 'reduce the films overall collections' or 'provide huge margins and profits'. While communication is not impeded, the frequent lexical inaccuracies and minor spelling mistakes prevent the response from achieving a higher band, making Band 5.5 an accurate assessment.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as concessive clauses starting with 'Although entertainment is available through online...'. However, there are persistent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including 'movies which are generally good can able to pull', 'digital platforms able to help the people to watch', and missing prepositions or incorrect verb forms. Punctuation errors are also present, such as comma splices and lowercase letters for pronouns like 'i'. Because the errors in grammar and structure are frequent and occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader, this performance corresponds to a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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