Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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)

Some individuals argue that construction and developing of cinemas and theatres should not be encouraged in the current modern world as people can watch all movies, dramas or shows on their own mobiles via different platforms, while others argue that they are important because it can provide economic benefits and also for the culture of a country. In my opinion, both should be available to peoples and allow them what they prefer.

People who think, nowadays, cinemas and theatres are less important are impressed from internet service. They have now provided super fast 5G internet by means of which they can watch their favorite things in full HD or even in 4K where they want, and forgetting the cinemas. Moreover, some people prefer private life and don't want to socialize with friends or others, so they prefer watching on personel mobiles rather than going to cinemas. For instance, in past decades, there were many peoples visiting cinemas to entertain themselves, but when internet is introduced the number of cinemas visitors declined significantly.

On the other hand, individuals who advocate that they are still important both economically and culturally are also correct. When people are charged to enter the cinema, staff collect that money and it indirectly improve the economy of a country. It can be important as a culture because it is considered as an old tradition where people visit these places and enjoy with one another before the internet was introduced.

In conclusion, although in digital age people can now enjoy all they want online at home because of internet, cinemas and theatres are also important for economy and culture of a country. I believe, however, to provide them both to choose for themselves according to situation.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both perspectives and state a preference for allowing people to choose, so the response addresses the main parts of the prompt. The online-entertainment view is supported with relevant points about fast internet, image quality and privacy, while the economic and cultural case is also identified. However, the position is not fully clear: “both should be available” is broad, and the conclusion does not explain how you weigh the two views. Several ideas remain under-developed. For example, cinema revenue is said to improve the economy, but the response does not explain the wider effects, such as employment or spending by audiences. The cultural point relies mainly on tradition. Develop these points with specific explanation and examples, and make your own judgement more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “Moreover,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. The progression within the first body paragraph is generally logical, moving from internet access to privacy and then to a comparison with the past. Some links and references are less clear or feel mechanical, however. In “they are important because it can provide economic benefits,” the reference shifts between plural cinemas and singular “it.” The conclusion also repeats the two sides without clearly connecting them to a decisive opinion. Use pronouns with clear antecedents and make each paragraph build toward your final position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “platforms,” “5G internet,” “full HD,” “4K,” “socialize,” and “economic benefits.” These choices make the subject clear, and there are attempts to use more formal expressions such as “advocate” and “declined significantly.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or awkward, which limits precision: “impressed from internet service,” “on personel mobiles,” and “enjoy with one another” do not sound natural in this context. There are also spelling and word-form problems, including “personel” and “peoples.” Aim for accurate, natural combinations rather than adding technical terms; for example, describe people as “attracted to online streaming” and say they watch content “on their personal devices.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “by means of which they can watch” and a contrastive clause beginning “although.” The main ideas are usually understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, verb forms and sentence construction recur. For example, “it indirectly improve the economy” needs subject–verb agreement, while “when internet is introduced” needs an article and a more suitable tense. The opening sentence is also difficult to control because several ideas are joined in one long structure. Practise building accurate complex sentences with one clear main clause, and check agreement and tense consistency. More reliable control of these patterns would make the argument easier to read.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.