Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
In this digital age, theatres and cinemas are indeed losing their charm because now people live a very fast paced life and find it difficult sometimes to take out time for liesure. So whenever they get time they watch movies online for free mostly without paying or doing the hustle of going to a cinema. Economically and culturally theartres and cinemas are not that important in my opinion because there are alot of streaming services online which we can pay for with a little amount for a month. Also couples prefer to watch movies in privacy or in a comfort zone thats why they prefer to sit at home and watch movies and shows. Families also prefer to gather together in their free time and watch movies together like a party. In Pakistan not a alot of movies have been produced recently or any quality movie or the kind of movie that define the pakistani culture. Infact pakistani dramas broadcasted on TV and youtube represent the culture at best. So cinemas and theatres are not going to benefit the the culture. If cinemas start booming like they used to in the past before all these streaming services became available in pakistan then yes the economy can definitely be benefited. But for now the cinemas don't hold as much value as they did before.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views regarding the importance of theatres and cinemas versus online entertainment, and the writer provides a clear personal opinion. However, the task achievement is heavily compromised by the word count falling short of the required 250-word minimum, containing only 223 words. Consequently, the ideas, particularly regarding economic and cultural impacts, are somewhat underdeveloped and generalized, relying heavily on anecdotal points about Pakistani dramas and couples watching movies at home without fully extending the economic arguments. Due to the under-length penalty and limited development, this reaches a band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The entire response is written as a single, massive paragraph. There is a complete lack of paragraphing, which makes the progression of ideas difficult to follow. The writer attempts to move from general online habits to economic and cultural aspects, and then to local examples, but the transitions are abrupt and mechanical. Cohesive devices are minimal, with excessive reliance on simple conjunctions like 'so' and 'and'. While there is some overarching logic connecting the sentences, the lack of paragraph division and basic cohesion keeps this criterion at a band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate basic ideas about streaming services and cultural representation. However, the range is limited and repetitive, with frequent spelling and word-choice errors such as 'liesure', 'alot', 'theartres', and 'comfort zone'. The writer attempts some less common phrases like 'fast paced life' and 'streaming services', but struggles with collocation and precision ('doing the hustle', 'benefit the the culture'). Because these errors do not severely impede understanding, the lexical resource fits the band 5.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures are often prone to errors. Run-on sentences and punctuation issues are prevalent throughout the text, notably lacking proper capitalization and periods in places. There are grammatical inaccuracies such as 'the economy can definitely be benefited' and 'Infact pakistani dramas broadcasted on TV'. Although the meaning remains understandable despite these frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, the lack of error-free sentences prevents the writing from reaching a higher band, placing it solidly at a band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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