Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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)

The world is getting modern by time as well as the way of getting entertain.There are basically both type of people in our surroundings, one who adopt to developing world and tech, and others who are still rooted with their past cultures and traditions. And both kinds hold their strong point of views.

Starting with the people who got adapted with this digital era, and beleive theatres and cinemas are not convenient for people as they can entertain themselves online by anything they desire. And it's true, in this modern age everything is in our pocket, our smartphones. For example, a person having long shifts, tiring work, not getting enough time to relax and entertain himself might get exhausted, therefore the smartphones can be very practical for such person, he can just open up his phone, search for any sort of thing online which can ammuse him, and can entertain himself regardless of time and place. But on other hand, it's dangerous for physical and mental health, as per recent researches, the longer screen time or doom scrolling can cause multiple kinds of conditions like depression, lack of sleep, anxiety, lack of motivation, weak muscles, lazy eyes etc.

Coming to the other people views, who argues that theatres and cinemas still hold cultural norms and are beneficial economically. Their point of view is valid, theatres holds the spirit of live performances, actors live performance is much entertaining along providing the experience which can never be beaten by online entertainment. Watching the movies in cinemas along eating popcorns can provide a unique experience. In some regions of the world, the theatre has been source of entertainment as part of their civilization like ancient rome, greeks used to have theatres where actors performed dramas, singers and musicians presented their best and became the part of the history. Even in 18th and 19th century, the theatres were assumed to be the best source of entertainment until the digital era started.

In conclusion, the source of entertainment either it's online or it's theatre or cinema are good until it does not start affecting your health, disturbing your routine, distracting from your goal. The theatres should be promoted equally at public level as online entertainment is promoted.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the decline of physical venues due to online entertainment and the enduring economic and cultural importance of theatres and cinemas, while also providing a personal opinion. Ideas are generally relevant, such as mentioning the convenience of smartphones versus the health risks of excessive screen time, and the historical significance of live performances. However, some arguments remain somewhat under-developed or touch upon points superficially without fully extending them. For instance, the economic benefits mentioned in the introduction are not deeply elaborated upon in the body paragraphs. The position is clear throughout, but the depth of development prevents the response from reaching a higher level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the discussion into an introduction, body paragraphs addressing each perspective, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used to separate distinct ideas, such as moving from the digital perspective to the cultural perspective in the third paragraph. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical or faulty. Phrases used to transition between ideas, such as "Coming to the other people views" and "And both kinds hold their strong point of views," feel unnatural and lack smooth integration. Referencing and conjunctions are sometimes repetitive or imprecise, which affects the overall fluidity of the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as "civilization," "doom scrolling," and "spirit of live performances." However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing throughout the text. Expressions like "getting entertain," "got adapted with this digital era," and "theatres holds the spirit" contain awkward grammatical combinations or incorrect preposition use. Additionally, there are spelling and word formation errors, such as "beleive" and "ammuse," though these do not severely impede communication. To improve, the writer needs to focus on precision and natural phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and sentence structure, such as "The world is getting modern by time as well as the way of getting entertain" and "a person having long shifts... might get exhausted, therefore the smartphones can be very practical." Run-on sentences and comma splices also appear regularly, particularly in the second and third paragraphs. While the meaning is generally communicated despite these frequent errors, the high density of grammatical slips holds the score back.

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