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)

Some people argue that in the current digital age, cinemas and theatres are not important because all the entertainement that they desire can be seen online. Other people argue that cinemas and theatres are still important economically and culturally. My opinion is that the latter are correct and the people who think digitalisation has changed this completely have taken it to higher proportions than it actually is.

In the current digital age, people argue that cinemas and theatres are a relic of the past as all of entertainement can be seen online. Online services for streaming and downloading content has changed the role that they used to have. Movies share a digital medium that can be effortlessly distributed throughout the web, which in itself removes the need to go to a cinema. Furthermore theatres have also included recordings of scenes or live streaming services for people that are interested. This means that nowadays you don't need to order tickets and instead, you can enjoy your comfort at your home. Consequently removing the issue of queuing in lines and the wait for a movie or a theatre show to start. Commuting also is not a problem, as you do not need to go out of your home to go to the nearest cinema which may be really far.

Arguments however, can also be made for theatres and cinemas being important economically and culturally. Large part of the revenue for the entertainement companies comes from the sale of tickets. That's why the box office keeps track of their sales, as the huge budgets have to be covered by the sale of tickets. Streaming in itself involves licensing which has a smaller part to play. More revenue means more opportunities for jobs available in cinemas or theatres. Culturally cinemas and theatres were at the forefront of entertainement before digitalisation. They were the main place where people could enjoy the arts. Even now there is a case for both, as you can enjoy much better the fullness of what the directors intended to be shown instead of watching it on a small screen.

I believe that people who argue for the role that digital age has on theatres and cinemas, overstate the importance of the digital medium. In my opinion, theatres and cinemas are ingrained into our culture and psyche. When you think of movies or theatre shows, you wouldn't think of them being streamed over a screen. Cinemas and theatres have their important place in society for reasons both culturally but also economically.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the digital shift perspective and the economic and cultural importance of cinemas and theatres. A clear position is stated in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are generally well extended and supported, such as mentioning ticket revenue, budget coverage, and the director's intended viewing experience. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise or repeat certain points regarding streaming and convenience across paragraphs without introducing fully fresh conceptual angles. Nevertheless, the requirements for a well-rounded discussion and clear personal viewpoint are met effectively, aligning with a Band 7 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to the arguments against cinemas, the counter-arguments supporting them, and finally the concluding opinion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', and 'Arguments however, can also be made'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, referencing and cohesive links are sometimes slightly mechanical or repetitive ('In the current digital age...'), preventing the essay from reaching higher band thresholds where cohesion is completely unobtrusive. Overall, the structural flow is clear and easy to follow, satisfying the criteria for Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for flexibility and precision, successfully using less common items such as 'digitalisation', 'effortlessly distributed', 'licensing', and 'psyche'. There are, however, occasional spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'entertainement' (spelling slip), 'Large part' instead of 'A large part', and awkward phrasing like 'taken it to higher proportions than it actually is'. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary is adequate to convey precise meanings without impeding communication, fitting comfortably into the Band 6 or 7 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a willingness to experiment with subordination and relative clauses ('services for streaming and downloading content has changed...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, but a number of grammatical slips and punctuation inconsistencies persist, such as subject-verb agreement errors ('Online services... has changed'), missing articles ('Large part of the revenue'), and awkward phrasing ('reasons both culturally but also economically'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they demonstrate inconsistent control over complex structures, preventing the score from rising into the higher bands.

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