Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01

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)

Nowadays, people watch different movies online at home. Some people say that theatres and cinemas are not important, while other think that it still important for economically and culturally. This essay will discuss both perspectives.

On the one hand, online is more important and convenient for people. They can watch, movies, dramas and other entertaining shows at home without travelling to cinema. It also save their time and money to get to the cinema tickets and spend money on transpot. For example, the people who watch the new movie they can easily saw at home at any time when they free and it is alos very easy and comfortable.

On the other hand, theatres and cinemas are still important for economic and cultural reasons. They provides the jobs for the people to take part in actor such as cinema staff and managers. In addition, cinema give the chance to enjoy time with their family and friends on a large screen. For instance, many families go to cinema to enjoy time together and watch a new movie and also enjoy the experience. They also make the memorable memory for the future and they are also very happy to watch movie together in cinema.This shows that cinemas still have an important role in society.

In conclusion, although watching entertainment online is convenient and popular, I believe theatres and cinemas are still important. They provide jobs and offer people to get the experience that they cannot get in exactly the same way at home. In cinema people have the chance to get the jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main task by discussing both views on theatres and cinemas and providing a personal opinion, which places it within the mid-range. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the discussion on economic reasons mentions that theatres provide jobs for actors and managers, but this idea is not fully extended. Similarly, the argument regarding cultural and social benefits relies on generalized statements about watching movies with family and creating memories rather than exploring deeper cultural impacts. To move to a higher level, the writer needs to fully develop all parts of the task with more substantial explanations and relevant examples rather than restating similar points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates some organization with a clear paragraph structure, using basic introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs. There is an overall arrangement of ideas, with distinct sections for each viewpoint. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by mechanical and repetitive cohesive devices, such as the frequent use of 'In addition' and 'For example'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in the sentence 'They also make the memorable memory for the future', where the pronoun antecedent is imprecise. To achieve a more advanced score, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices and ensure smoother logical transitions between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing enough range to discuss the topic of cinemas versus online streaming. However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form. Examples include 'spend money on transpot' (spelling and collocation error), 'easily saw at home' (incorrect verb form), and 'make the memorable memory' (unnatural collocation for 'create lasting memories'). The writer attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'perspective' and 'convenient', but frequent errors in word formation and choice occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Expanding lexical control and mastering standard collocations will significantly improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The text displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences alongside some basic complex attempts. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that can cause difficulty for the reader, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'theatres and cinemas are... while other think that it still important for economically and culturally' and missing articles or incorrect prepositions in phrases like 'take part in actor'. Punctuation errors are also present, such as missing spaces after periods and commas. To progress, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of complex sentence forms with a higher proportion of error-free structures and tighter control over basic grammatical rules.

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