Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

With the growing prevalence of smart devices people nowadays preferring to watch movies and plays, online on their phones and laptops. As watching online is more convinient way of consuming content rather than visiting cinemas. However, some believes that with this significant shift may show long-term socieconomical consesquences as it is affecting small drama groups and budget films whose income is directly associated with ticket sells. But still I stand with this move of digital age.

Plays and theatres or dramas are a crucial part of our culture and tradition as it depicts traditional stories and life lessoning stories.By switching to online way of consumption it will affect the number of audience in dramas as for a drama it is necessary of an engagement of viewer's, such as some comedy plays' need a funny reaction or laughing reaction of audience. Similarly, budget films are called as "revolutionary films" as with no celebrity cast and a hit story line can leave a nostalgic impact. For instance, movie like "Phir Hera Phir" is a cult classic comedy movie which made on a low budget and crossed 10 crore by selling tickets. But nowadays if some film is made in 10 crore and it will sell in a 15 crore to broadcaster and in case if it will be a disaster then all money will recieved by broadcaster and movie cast will not get anything in hand except small profit. Moreover, many cinema houses contribute major numbers in a conutries GDP. So by disappering trend of theatres and cinemas it will affect economically and culturaly.

On the other hand, it is also a fact that watching a movie in a theatre is only rich's hobby as with increasing prices of ticket and food items in cinemas, middle-class can't afford to watch movies regularly. Furthermore, watching online movies gives priviledge of watching it with comfort. Watching online movies are wrongly associated with effect on a economy while many movies got a millions of viewership because of these benefits of convinience of watching from anywhere and anytime. With addition to that it also promotes culture by showing old fairy tales shows. For instance, people who won't be able to join plays or theatres physically are now enjoying those from a far distance.

I believe that, cinemas and theatres should reduce ticket prices and make it affordable, I think so people should visit physically if it is possible otherwise online consumption is the best way to experiencing shows and movies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You discuss both perspectives and give a clear preference for digital viewing, while also recognising the cultural and economic value of live venues. The examples about audience reactions at plays, a low-budget film, and people watching performances from a distance help make the discussion relevant. However, some points are not fully explained or are difficult to follow: the claim that broadcasters receive all the money if a film fails needs clarification, and the GDP point is asserted without support. Your conclusion recommends lower ticket prices and accepts online viewing as an alternative, but it could state more directly how this recommendation supports your overall position. Developing these points more precisely would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on the importance of theatres and cinemas, a paragraph presenting advantages of online viewing, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “However,” “On the other hand,” and “Furthermore” help signal shifts between ideas. At times, though, connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “With addition to that” does not form a natural link, and the long discussion of film budgets moves abruptly from ticket income to broadcaster profits and then to GDP. Some references, such as “this move” and “those,” could be made more explicit. Grouping related economic points together and using clearer transitions between examples would improve the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “digital age,” “ticket prices,” “viewership,” “broadcaster,” and “cult classic.” These choices help communicate the main ideas about online entertainment and physical venues. However, inaccurate spelling and word choice are noticeable and sometimes make the reader pause, as in “convinient,” “socieconomical,” “ticket sells,” and “nostalgic impact.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “life lessoning stories” and “a funny reaction or laughing reaction.” Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully; for instance, describe films as having a “lasting impression” and audiences as “laughing” or “responding to the performance.” This would make your vocabulary more controlled and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “as,” “while,” and “if,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, errors in sentence construction and agreement are frequent enough to make some passages difficult to read. The opening fragment, “With the growing prevalence of smart devices people nowadays preferring…,” needs a main verb, while “some believes” and “watching online movies are” show agreement problems. Several sentences also have faulty clause patterns, such as “it is necessary of an engagement of viewer's” and “if some film is made in 10 crore and it will sell…”. Practise building complete clauses, maintaining consistent verb forms, and checking articles and plurals. Breaking long sentences into shorter units would also improve accuracy.

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