Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27
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)
In today's digital world people are swamped by their work and in this digital age entertainment in theatres and cinema are no longer given importance because people have the convenience to watch any show or movie online at any time. In this essay I am going to discuss both of these views and also give my opinion on it.
firstly, I will discuss about watching entertainment online in this modern world. Watching entertaining show or movie online at home or anywhere in the world has it's own perks. First, you can watch your favourite entertaining series at any time when you are not swamped by any kind of work. Secondly, you can watch your favourite show at your own pace and it's also convenient to watch it at home in your comfort zone. Moreover you can enjoy your delicious food in your own comfort zone where nobody's looking at you. In addition to this
Secondly, there's also another side of view where cinema and theatres are being given more importance than online it's mainly because of the experience people get by watching any entertaining series on a big screen. The process of planning to watch a movie in a theatre is itself is mesmerising because planning starts a week before they go in a theatre. Theatres and cinemas plays a huge role towards the economy and cultural. Economically by spending money on buying tickets for the movie and snacks they get while watching movies and culturally I would say it brings different shades of people's altogether under one roof where they have fun.
In conclusion, I would say through my perspective, I am the one who would go out in a theatres and cinema's for entertainment because of the moment I got to go out from my home and leaving behind any work related stress and being with my friends.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the view that digital entertainment makes theatres obsolete and the view that they remain economically and culturally important, while also clearly stating the writer's own opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive, particularly in the second paragraph regarding online viewing. While the writer mentions convenience, comfort, and food, these points lack robust extension. The exploration of economic and cultural aspects in the third paragraph is better developed, touching on box office revenue, concessions, and community bringing people together. The position is maintained throughout, though overall depth aligns best with Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a generally coherent overall arrangement with clear attempts at paragraphing and sequencing markers such as 'firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion'. However, there are noticeable cohesion issues. The response ends abruptly at the end of the second paragraph with an unfinished sentence fragment: 'In addition to this'. Furthermore, referencing is sometimes imprecise, and paragraph transitions feel somewhat mechanical. Despite these structural flaws, the progression of ideas is generally followed by the reader, justifying a Band 5.5 score.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases such as 'swamped by their work', 'comfort zone', and 'mesmerising'. However, there are several word choice, collocation, and phrasing inaccuracies, such as 'cultural' instead of 'culture', 'different shades of people's altogether', and 'moment I got to go out'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but grammatical infelicities in word forms prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey meaning.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. There are instances of accurate complex structures, but these are offset by frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding pluralization, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions (e.g., 'theatres and cinema are no longer given', 'it's own perks', 'theatres and cinemas plays', 'cultural' for 'culture', 'in a theatres and cinema's'). Punctuation is also faulty in places, notably with missing commas in introductory clauses and an unfinished sentence. These errors occasionally cause slight hesitation for the reader, fitting the Band 5.5 profile.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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