Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-09

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 5.0)

People do argue that in digital age, theatres and cinemas are no longer important as people can watch all the entertainment they want online but others say that theatres and cinemas are quite useful being budget and culture friendly.

In this digital era, a good chunk of information as well as entertainment is available online, just a few clicks away. Theatres and cinemas, that were a good source of entertainment before such inclined growth in technology. Nowadays almost any movie, drama etc, is availble without any hustle to book a ticket separately for everyone who intends to watch. Like we now have netflix which provides a monthly subscription with just few dollars then even ten people sitting in a single room can watch movie on a single TV. Such online tools also provide a lot of flexiblity and much more features which make home setting much more feasible.

However, watching movie in a theatre or cinema is still a luxury and has its own charm. They provide a total movie friendly enviroment like, better sound system, larger screen, better seating and ll. I was on withdrawl from cinemas until i recently watch a movie sitting inside. I am not much a fan of movies or dramas, i even rarely watch a movie at home on my phone or TV. Few days back a movie name as "Odessy" was released and we booked four tickets, the experience that starts from home is all it matters. Getting ready to depart for movie, riding to cinema, watching it on huge screen and finally coming back home, discussing it midway, is all that make cinemas and theatres still quite useful. So, now I personally believe cinemas and theatres are still important, they may not be economic but they are probably a good cultural fit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both perspectives and make your own view clear in the conclusion: cinemas remain important, even if they may not be economical. The online side is supported with the example of Netflix and the convenience of watching at home, while the cinema side includes a personal account of attending a screening. However, the task asks specifically about economic and cultural importance, and these points are only partly addressed. The online discussion focuses mainly on convenience, and the claim that cinemas are “probably a good cultural fit” is not explained with a clear cultural example. Develop the economic and cultural arguments directly, and explain how each example supports your position, to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph about online entertainment, a paragraph about cinemas, and a concluding opinion. Contrast is signalled with “However,” and the personal example gives the second main paragraph a clear focus. Nevertheless, progression within that paragraph becomes difficult to follow: the account moves from your viewing habits to the film outing and then to a broad conclusion without clearly separating the stages of the argument. Some linking is also repetitive, particularly the repeated references to “theatres and cinemas,” and the final sentence introduces economic and cultural claims without connecting them to the preceding details. Use clearer topic sentences, organise examples around one main point, and make references between sentences more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “monthly subscription,” “flexibility,” “sound system,” and “larger screen,” and these choices help communicate the contrast between home viewing and cinema-going. However, the range is limited by repeated general words such as “useful,” “good,” and “movie,” and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, including “budget and culture friendly,” “without any hustle,” and “a good cultural fit.” There are also spelling errors such as “availble,” “flexiblity,” and “enviroment.” These issues make some descriptions less precise, even though the main meaning is usually understandable. Choose more exact terms for affordability, convenience, and cultural value, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including a complex contrast in the opening and a sequence describing the cinema outing. However, complex structures are often not controlled successfully. For example, “Theatres and cinemas, that were a good source of entertainment before such inclined growth in technology” is a sentence fragment, while “the experience that starts from home is all it matters” has an unclear grammatical structure. There are also recurring errors in articles, agreement, and verb forms, as in “watching movie,” “ten people … can watch movie,” and “a movie name as ‘Odessy’ was released.” These errors sometimes make the reader pause. Practise complete sentence construction and check articles, plurals, and verb forms when editing.

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