Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
Nowadays, people can watch films and dramas on the internet, so some people think cinemas and theatres are not important anymore. However, others believe they are still important for the economy and culture. This essay will discuss both views and give my opinion.
On the one hand, online entertainment is very convenient. Platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime have a lot of films and people can watch them at anytime on their phones or laptops. It is also cheaper than buying cinema tickets, especially for a family. Because of this, many people prefer to stay at home, and some cinemas have closed in recent years.
On the other hand, cinemas and theatres are still useful for society. Firstly, they provide jobs for many people such as actors, cleaners and ticket sellers. In addition, they bring tourists to some cities, and these tourists spend money in hotels and restaurants, which help the local economy. Secondly, theatres are part of culture because local artists can show their talent and people can enjoy live performances together. This is something which cannot be done on the internet.
In my opinion, cinemas and theatres are still important and they will not disappear completely. However, they need to change and show more modern films and plays so that young people are interested in going there. If they do this, they can continue to support the economy and culture.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on the importance of theatres and cinemas in the digital age and providing a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant, such as the convenience of platforms like Netflix, economic contributions through job creation and tourism, and cultural value via live performances. However, the response falls short of the word count requirement, containing only 232 words compared to the minimum of 250 words. This under-length impacts the depth of development, preventing the ideas from being fully extended. Consequently, the task achievement is limited by length, leading to a penalty reflected in the band score.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response is organized into four distinct paragraphs, following a logical essay structure with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs exploring opposing views, and a concluding summary. The student uses standard cohesive devices effectively to signal transitions, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Firstly', and 'In addition'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different arguments. While referencing is generally clear and the overall arrangement is coherent, the limited length prevents more sophisticated progression and cohesive tying between sentences. Nevertheless, the logical flow is easy to follow from start to finish.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'convenient', 'entertainment', 'economic', 'cultural', and 'live performances'. There are also successful attempts at less common phrasing such as 'local economy' and 'disappear completely'. Word choice is generally appropriate, though it tends to rely on common and predictable expressions rather than sophisticated or precise lexical items. Spelling and word formation are accurate throughout the text. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the ideas clearly, it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher band levels.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
The student displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over basic sentence structures. Examples of complex structures include 'Platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime have a lot of films and people can watch them at anytime on their phones or laptops' and 'tourists spend money in hotels and restaurants, which help the local economy'. There are minor agreement errors, such as 'which help' instead of 'which helps' following a singular antecedent clause, but these do not impede communication. Punctuation is generally correct and sentences are well-formed, balancing simple clauses with compound and relative clauses.
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