Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22

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)

Cinemas are one of the most creative sectors where social messages, addressing noble deeds or person, condemning prejudice etc. are actively involved alongside entertainment. Additionally, cinemas serve entrainment as well as enlightenment.

It is assumed by some people that nowadays cinemas and theatres are no longer necessary since there are many OTT platforms where entertainment content can be streamed. On the other hand, some people think that it is still necessary for economic and cultural development.

Currently, numerous streaming platforms are available such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Jio hotstar, Binge, Sony liv etc. These platforms serves various content for example, movies, short film, series and many more. Many options are also available as one can watch thriller, drama, sci-fi, fantasy as well as anime in the same platform. Specially this feature attracts more audience because they can binge all the contents in one site by paying once. Day by day, it is becoming more popular specially among the youngsters. Youngsters from generation Z termed as gen-z often avoid socialising and prefer enjoying small circle of people. Hence, watching movies or dramas online favors them in this terms.

By contrast, theatres allow people to feel the authentic vibes of the film. Eventually, it creates the ambience where people can enjoy the film in a way director wants them to. Besides, people watch the films with family and enjoy family time and sometimes they watch the cinema several times. It takes huge amount of hard work and creativity of the whole cinema team to create a masterpiece. Watching them in cinemas by buying tickets provides direct financial support for the film industry which inspires them to work more and create more creative content like that.

According to my view, I do support the second statement because cinemas are part of culture and it represents the culture worldwide. In addition, every cinema involves huge hard work and innovation of the whole filming unit. Theatres serve the actual purpose of making cinema involving active participation of audience and provide actors as well as creators to entertain more and more through cinema.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—the decline of cinemas due to streaming platforms and their ongoing economic and cultural importance—while also presenting a clear personal position in the conclusion. The ideas are generally relevant, but some points lack full development. For instance, the paragraph detailing online streaming platforms lists various genres and apps (e.g., Netflix, Amazon Prime, Jio hotstar) rather than deeply exploring the broader cultural shift or economic implications of digital media. Similarly, the arguments supporting physical cinemas are somewhat repetitive regarding hard work and family time. Nevertheless, a clear stance is maintained and supported throughout, aligning well with the Band 6.5 or Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is generally coherent with a logical overarching structure, moving from an introduction to the two opposing views and finishing with a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different concepts, such as the digital streaming argument versus the traditional cinema argument. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or abrupt, particularly in transitions like 'By contrast' or 'According to my view, I do support'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as 'favors them in this terms' where the pronoun reference is loose. While the logical progression is clear overall, these minor cohesive flaws place the essay firmly in the Band 6 territory.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for an academic discussion, incorporating terms like 'prejudice', 'enlightenment', 'authentic vibes', and 'masterpiece'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing throughout the text. Examples include 'cinemas serve entrainment' (spelling/collocation error for entertainment), 'serves various content' (should provide or feature), and the slightly informal phrase 'gen-z often avoid socialising'. Furthermore, repetitive use of words like 'cinemas', 'platforms', and 'youngsters' limits lexical variety. These issues mean the vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting varied clauses (e.g., 'It is assumed by some people that...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings that interrupt the flow. Examples include missing articles or pluralisation issues like 'addressing noble deeds or person', subject-verb agreement errors such as 'These platforms serves', and awkward prepositional choices like 'in the same platform' instead of 'on'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but structural slips prevent the essay from reaching a Band 7. Communication is rarely impeded, supporting a solid Band 6 score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.