Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 many regions, elementary schools shuts for two months or more during summer vacations. Spending almost 8 months or more going back-and-forth to school these holidays hold great value. however, usually individuals waste their precious time instead of doing something meaningful.

Students spend most of their time going to school, which covers almost 8 or more months following a strict routine and working around the clock. After a long academic year of hard work and exams, when their session ends, summer holidays begins. Mostly students plan their whole summer vacation beforehand as this is the most anticipated time of the year, and they don’t want to waste a single minute. Kids are Teenagers usually spend their long holidays mostly by going on trips, having family gatherings, outdoor and indoor activities which is a way to relax, keeping their minds off after their long session of school. Hence, for most of the kids this period of time is the most memorable. For example, when I was in when I was in middle school, I remember my trip in summer’s to my neighing city Lahore for my cousin‘s wedding. I have almost no memory of that year except this, we went there I had such an enjoyable and joy-able experience, which stays with me for a long time. Therefore, having long holidays, hold sentiments for kids and memories that they can cherish for a longer time.

Most individuals waste their precious time in leisure activities, instead of focusing on building themselves and move towards the growth. A person can take out time for themselves, at any moment of the day to spend on their hobbies or themselves, They do not need specific long holidays for this. All the other activities, that a child can experience during their summer holidays, would not build a better future for them so it’s necessary to develop some skill that would be beneficial for them in their life ahead. Reducing the summer holidays by adding skill development sessions would be more prioritizing and helpful in shaping the future, at primary and secondary stage of schooling a child mind is developing very quickly. For instance, a summer program launched by educational centers would help students to learn and develop new skill alongside their studies. Therefore, cutting the school holidays short is beneficial.

To conclude, although long summer holidays hold great sentiments for the kids and memories that they can cherish for a lifetime. Consequently, at the same time spending plenty of time doing nothing but getting involved in leisure activities. It is better to learn and develop some skills that would benefit them in a longer run.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The student has written about summer holidays for schools, which actually misinterprets the provided prompt regarding theatres and cinemas in the digital age. This is a severe off-topic error because the essay discusses the merits of shortening summer school holidays rather than discussing whether theatres and cinemas are still important economically and culturally versus online entertainment. Although the student provides reasons and a personal example about a trip to Lahore, the core requirement of addressing the prompt's specific topic was completely missed. According to the Band 4 descriptor, the response is off-topic and responds only tangentially or misunderstands the core task completely. Therefore, a Band 4.0 is appropriate here.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is divided into logical paragraphs with an introduction, body paragraphs supporting different perspectives, and a conclusion. However, the progression is sometimes disrupted by confusing transitions and sentence fragments, such as 'Kids are Teenagers usually spend...' and the dangling construction in the conclusion starting with 'Consequently, at the same time spending...'. Cohesive devices like 'For example' and 'Therefore' are used, but referencing is occasionally unclear. Paragraphing is present and generally attempts to group ideas about leisure versus skill-building. While there is an overall structure, the mechanical and faulty cohesion places this at Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is repetitive and basic, with noticeable errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Examples of awkward phrasing and word choice include 'elementary schools shuts', 'joy-able experience', 'neighing city' (instead of neighbouring), and 'more prioritizing'. While the student attempts some less common phrasing like 'precious time' and 'skill development sessions', the range is limited and minimally adequate. Errors in word formation and collocation are frequent enough to prevent a higher score, aligning well with the Band 5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence forms attempted, but they are frequently marred by basic grammatical errors. Examples include subject-verb agreement errors ('schools shuts', 'these holidays hold', 'holidays begins'), run-on structures, and comma splices ('A person can take out time for themselves, at any moment of the day to spend on their hobbies or themselves, They do not need...'). Attempts at complex sentences often result in faulty punctuation and structural confusion. These frequent errors can cause difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar performance firmly at Band 5.0.

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.