Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-26

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 6.5)

In the contemporary era of social media, many digital apps provide a facility to watch movies and dramas online, making some people to argue that theatres and cinemas are no longer significant nowadays. On the contrary, there are other people who negate this idea stating that theatres and cinemas hold economic and cultural significance due to which they carry their own value. In my opinion, cinemas and theatres reflect cultural, economic and social practices of a society and therefore, they are crucial places for a society to hold. This essay will discuss both viewpoints along with explanation of my opinion.

The digital media apps provide whole coverage for all genres of entertainment. People can watch their favourite TV shows, movies or programs on online apps at their desired time. These apps do not require their audience to be at a specific place like cinema or theatre to access their desired genre of entertainment. Due to this feature provided by online apps, some people hold a belief that theatres and cinemas are no longer needed for entertainment. For instance, Netflix provides access to all kinds of entertainment programs without any barriers of location or time.

On the contraty, there are some people who support the idea that theatres and cinemas still hold their significance economically and culturaly. They argue that theatres and cinemas allow audience to have real life experiences that digital apps are unable to provide. Also, these places hold imperative value to reflect the culture, economy and traditions of a society to the world.

In my opinion, I believe that theatres and cinemas can never lose their value despite the development of social media apps in the recent digital age. I support the idea that these places should get more funding in order to revive the cultural, economic and traditional significance of a society as these places can enhance experiences of audience through real-life exposure.

To sum up the essay, there are ongoing controversies that whether theatres and cinemas are important in contemporary digital age. Some people argue that they are no longer important due to opportunities provided by digital media apps. On the other hand, other people support the idea that theatres and cinemas are reflection of a society and hold both economic and cultural value. I personally believe that theatres and cinemas should get more fundings to update them in order to motivate people to show their support to places that reflect their culture and society to the world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both viewpoints and clearly stating a personal opinion. The introduction outlines the two positions and your stance, which is further developed in the body paragraphs and reiterated in the conclusion. For instance, you explain the convenience of digital media apps like Netflix and contrast this with the cultural and economic value of physical cinemas. However, the development in places tends to be slightly repetitive, particularly when discussing cultural reflections and funding in the final paragraphs. To reach a higher band, ideas could be extended with more specific examples rather than restating the same arguments about culture and economy. Overall, the task response is well-formed and fully meets the requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall progression and is logically organised into a traditional five-paragraph structure. Each paragraph has a clear focus, moving from an introduction to body paragraphs discussing digital apps, traditional values, your personal opinion, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as 'On the contrary', 'For instance', and 'To sum up the essay'. However, referencing and transitions can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, as seen with phrases like 'there are some people who' and 'In my opinion, I believe that'. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but making the transitions between paragraphs smoother would elevate the coherence score further.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using less common items such as 'contemporary era', 'imperative value', and 'exposure'. There are occasional lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'whole coverage for all genres' and 'culturaly' (spelling error). Furthermore, the phrase 'make some people to argue' contains a grammatical error impacting lexical-grammatical interface. Despite these slips, your vocabulary is generally adequate to convey your ideas clearly without impeding the reader's understanding. To improve, focus on precise word choices and accurate spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a decent command of grammar. You successfully use subordinate clauses and relative structures, such as 'People can watch their favourite TV shows, movies or programs on online apps at their desired time.' However, there are noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, including 'making some people to argue' (incorrect infinitive usage), 'economically and culturaly' (spelling/adverb form), and 'ongoing controversies that whether' (incorrect prepositional/conjunction usage). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching a Band 7. More careful proofreading for minor grammatical slips would be beneficial.

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