Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19
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 people say that in the digital age, threatres and cinemas are no longer important as people can watch all the entertainment they want online. Other argue that theatres and cinemas are still important both economically and culturaly.
This essay willl discuss both views and argue that cinema and theatres are still very important.
On one hand, some people think that cinema and threatre are not needed now. This is because of Netflix, YouTube and other platforms. People watch movies and drama on their mobiles or laptops by staying home. It is an cheap way of watching movies. For example, a family in a Jhelum can watch a hollywood movie by siting in their home without buying any expensive ticket of threatre or cinema. Also during covid 19, people learned to enjoy every thing online, that's why they think cinema is not necessary.
On the other hand, some people think threatre or cinema is still important for both economically and culturally. Culturally, going to cinema or threatre is a social activity. Friend and family go to cinema or threatre, enjoy big screen and good sound which is not available at home. Threatre also keep our culture alive. For example stage drama at lahore shows pakistani culture and history. Economically cinema and treatre give jobs to thousand of people like actors, ticket sellers and food shop workers. They also help the local economy and tourism.
In my opinion, online entertainment is convenient, cinemas and threatre will never lose their importance. The experience of watching a movie on big screen with other people is totaly different and more exciting. Also, threatre are important for our culture identity.
In conclusion, it is true that digital platform can made home entertaiment easy, I believe threatres and cinemas are still important both culturally and economically and goverments should support these kind of activiteis.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear opinion: online viewing is convenient, but cinemas and theatres remain important. Relevant support includes the affordable home-viewing example and the cultural and employment benefits of venues. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, you say stage drama in Lahore preserves culture, but could explain how it reflects local history or traditions. The economic argument lists jobs and tourism but does not show their wider impact. Your conclusion restates your position, though the suggestion that governments should support venues is introduced without development. Overall, the response covers the task, but some ideas are less fully developed than others.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, your opinion, and a conclusion. The signposts “On one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In my opinion” make the progression easy to follow. Within paragraphs, examples generally follow the claims they support. Cohesion is sometimes mechanical, however, and several sentences begin with repeated forms such as “People,” “They,” or “Also.” The reference in “They also help the local economy” is understandable but could be made more precise by naming cinemas and theatres again. Use a wider range of linking and referencing, and connect related points more smoothly within each paragraph.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “digital age,” “social activity,” “local economy,” and “tourism.” Some phrases also convey relevant distinctions, such as “big screen” and “good sound.” However, the range is limited and several word-choice, spelling, and collocation errors are noticeable: “threatres,” “culturaly,” “treatre,” and “culture identity” reduce accuracy, while “an cheap way” is not a natural expression. Repetition of “important,” “cinema,” and “theatre” also limits flexibility. Build a more accurate set of topic collocations and check spelling and word forms; this will make your meaning more precise without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple sentences and some longer structures, including “This is because…” and the contrast between online convenience and the value of venues. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Examples include “Other argue” instead of a plural subject with a matching verb, “Friend and family go” where plural agreement is needed, and “theatre are important,” which also has an agreement problem. There are errors in articles and verb forms, as in “It is an cheap way” and “digital platform can made.” Sentence patterns are often simple, and the longer sentences are not always controlled. Practise subject–verb agreement, articles, and modal verb forms, while adding accurate complex sentences.
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.