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)

With the wide spread use of digital media, some people argue importance of cinemas as people can watch all the enterntaiment online. In my option while online media is more covinent and cost effective for most people, theathers are still very siginificant in our society as they infulance culture and are also beneficial to economy.

Online media has surged in popularity in the last decade with the introduction of streaming platforms like Netflix and HBO Max. People now prefer staying at their home and watching their favorite shows. Additionally, advancements in technology, like better display technology and home theater systems, have made consuming entertainment much more enjoyable. Streaming services have made entertainment more cost-effective by paying a fraction of the cost compared to cinemas. Neithertheless, I still prefer going to the cinema and experiencing the movie firsthand.

On the other hand, cinema and theaters hold significant cultural value; culturally, these venues serve as gathering spaces where people can share collective emotions and laughter together on a joke or experience live drama. Economically, the cinema industry generates billions of dollars of revenue, driving economic activity for adjacent sectors like restaurants near the cinema, independently owned cinemas and theaters, and public transport. In terms of entertainment, cinemas are still unmatched; a watcher can experience a movie as the director intended, for example Oppenhimer's theatrical run was extended for more than 3 months because 80 percent of people would prefer to see it only in cinema.

In conclusion, although streaming services offer undeniable convenience and affordability for daily entertainment, I firmly believe that physical venues remain essential. Theatres and cinemas deliver unique cultural cohesion and vital economic activity that ensure their continued importance in the modern world

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the decline of theatres due to online media and their ongoing economic and cultural importance, while also presenting a clear position throughout. The main ideas are extended and supported, such as when you mention how cinemas drive economic activity for adjacent sectors like restaurants. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise in the opening body paragraph when claiming that streaming makes entertainment cost-effective simply by 'paying a fraction of the cost'. To reach a higher level, the arguments regarding cultural and economic impact could have been developed with even greater depth or a wider range of supporting examples beyond the single mention of Oppenheimer, ensuring all parts of the prompt receive equally comprehensive elaboration.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are structured sensibly, moving from the introduction of the debate and the convenience of streaming to the counterarguments regarding cultural and economic value, and finally to a firm conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with distinct paragraphs handling the introduction, online media, traditional venues, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well to guide the reader, using transitions such as 'Additionally', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. To push into higher scoring territory, referencing could be managed with even greater flexibility, and cohesive devices could be woven in less mechanically to ensure the flow between sentences feels entirely natural and unobtrusive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

An adequate range of vocabulary is utilized to discuss the topic, demonstrating an attempt to use less common items such as 'cost-effective', 'cultural cohesion', and 'adjacent sectors'. However, there are notable spelling errors and word-choice slips present throughout the text, including 'enterntaiment', 'option' instead of opinion, 'covinent', 'theathers', 'siginificant', 'infulance', 'Neithertheless', and 'Oppenhimer'. These lexical inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band. While communication is not impeded and the general meaning remains clear, improving spelling precision and exercising more exact word choice and collocation will be essential for enhancing your lexical score in future writing tasks.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures that show a varied structural range. There are several error-free sentences, particularly in the concluding paragraph. However, a number of grammatical errors persist, such as missing articles ('with the wide spread use' instead of widespread, 'staying at their home' instead of at home), preposition issues ('paying a fraction of the cost' where structure is slightly awkward), and punctuation slips (such as missing a comma after introductory elements). These errors rarely impede communication, reflecting a generally solid control of sentence boundaries and grammar, though tightening up article usage and punctuation consistency will help you secure more error-free sentences.

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