Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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 6.5)

In today's world of digital technology, some people find theatres and cinemas to be important from a cultural and economic standpoint, while others believe that theatres and cinemas are no longer as important due to availability of online means of entertainment. I firmly believe that theatres and cinemas have lost their importance and it makes more sense for people to access online entertainment.

In the digital age, online entertainment is a more financially viable option over theatres and cinemas, as the subscription for OTTs are fairly cheaper than the ticket prices for theatres and cinema shows. As a consequence, people can watch different entertainment genres by subscribing to an OTT service over a period of time, as opposed to a single movie or a play in the theatres. For example, monthly subscription for Netflix costs around INR 200 per month in India, whereas a theatre ticket is roughly INR 500 per person. Price sensitive people, would be more willing to buy the OTT subscription as it gives them access to not just national but international content whereas a theatre ticket would only last them a show.

From a purely cultural and economic standpoint, if theatres and cinemas lose all importance, the true art of theatre may entirely be washed out. As the turnout for theatrical shows increasingly decline, it will result in economic losses for the theatre houses, making them a less financially viable business to operate. Consequently, this would result in a lesser demand for theatre artists, which might lead to a shut down of the art. For example, the art of puppet theatre is already facing the consequences as the turnout for these shows is plummeting, resulting in higher losses and reduced motivation for the artists to put in the hardwork.

In conclusion, since the people are becoming increasingly price sensitive, I believe cinemas and theatres no longer provide as much utility to the consumers as online entertainment does. The transition will result in economic and cultural losses to the art of theatre, however, the benefits of online entertainment outweigh these losses for the general public.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on the importance of theatres and cinemas in the digital age, while also clearly presenting and maintaining a personal position throughout the essay. The ideas presented are generally relevant and extended, such as the economic comparison of monthly OTT subscriptions against single movie tickets in India. However, some aspects show tendencies toward under-development or over-generalisation, which places the response precisely at this level. For instance, the paragraph addressing the cultural and economic standpoint outlines the threat to traditional art forms like puppet theatre well, but the overall argumentation could have been pushed further with deeper exploration of the cultural impacts beyond economic viability. The transition towards the next band requires a more fully sustained and rigorous exploration of all ideas without relying on broad generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from the introduction through the body paragraphs to the conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct central theme, such as financial viability versus cultural importance. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas together, but referencing and transitions can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, as seen with phrases like 'For example' and 'Consequently' appearing in close proximity. To move up to a higher band, the essay needs to demonstrate a more sophisticated and flexible management of cohesive devices and referencing, ensuring that the flow between sentences and paragraphs feels entirely natural and unobtrusive rather than formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common lexical items such as 'financially viable', 'plummeting', and 'price sensitive'. There is a clear effort to use topic-specific terminology related to economics and media consumption. However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing—such as writing 'subscription for OTTs are fairly cheaper' instead of 'significantly cheaper' or 'substantially lower', and 'turnout for theatrical shows increasingly decline' instead of 'declines'. These minor errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of precision and natural control. To reach the next band, the vocabulary choices need to be more precise, demonstrating a consistently higher degree of collocation awareness and stylistic sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a good control of grammar and punctuation, showcasing a healthy mix of simple and complex sentence structures that make the writing easy to follow. There are frequent error-free sentences, such as conditional and comparative constructions like 'As a consequence, people can watch different entertainment genres...' and 'Price sensitive people would be more willing to buy...'. While a few minor errors persist—such as subject-verb agreement issues like 'the subscription... are' instead of 'is'—these errors are infrequent and rarely impede communication. The punctuation is generally sound throughout. To push into higher bands, the writer must consistently exhibit a wider range of fully flexible, highly complex structures with an even greater proportion of entirely error-free sentences across the entire essay.

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