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)

Many people in today's digital age believe theatres and cinemas are not longer important as they can watch movies, shows etc on platforms like Netflix, Amazon prime etc, but other people believe theatres and cinemas are still important. My personal opinion is also theatres and cinemas are still important for both economy and culture.

Today in digital age, where there are multiple platforms like Netflix etc, people still choose cinema. One of the disadvantage of digital age platforms is for the true fans of any movie franchise. Example: Fast and furious 11 will first be released in cinema as compared to digital platforms, so the fans have to wait like a significant time before the movie is available. In this way, it effect the desire of fans. Apart from that, from a producer point of view, it is extremely important to release the movie first in cinema then to digital platforms because if we study the complete cinema architecture all the things are interlinked. If movie is not released in cinema, broadcast rights will not be sold. When these rights are not solid, producer will unable to produce more films, because it took millions and billions to produce films like Interstellar, Mission impossible etc. For any country economy to grow, there are multiple sections that plays a vital role

Out of these sections, culture and entertainment section also contribute meaningful amount. In today world, one of the greatest example we have for a country where entertainment segment made country do economically well is "South korea". South korea entertainment industry plays a significant role in country economy and helpled country when it was unable to sustain itself proper by providing oscar level films like "Parasite" which on box office collected billions of dollars.

On the other hand, if we talk about digital platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, there platforms from a country point of view and revenue point of view is not useful. Netflix and other platforms are country specific like these platform contribute an extensive amount of money to US government as these platforms are US Born,they help us economy to grow, they invest in movies made worldwide by purchasing right but eventually helping us economy. Generally people do not choose these platform because newly released films are not available on day 1 for fans. Fans have to wait and secondly these platform themselves have limitations. Platform overall picture quality wise is not compared to like in cinema where you can watch movies in 3d. People also complain about expensive subscription cost as platform subscription is quite expensive, but lastly going out to cinema is reason where people can leave their homes and spend time with family, watch movies, eat out and bond with their families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state your position clearly in the introduction: you believe theatres and cinemas remain important economically and culturally. The discussion includes relevant points about cinema releases, production funding, national entertainment industries, and the shared experience of going out. However, the two sides are not developed equally. The case for online platforms is mostly presented through their limitations, rather than explaining why people value online access, such as convenience, choice, or lower travel costs. Some support is also unclear or over-assertive: the South Korean example links the success of “Parasite” to national economic performance without explaining the connection, and the claim that cinema release is necessary for broadcast rights needs clarification. Develop each view with a clear reason and a well-explained example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an introduction, a substantial discussion of cinema’s role, and a contrasting paragraph about digital platforms, so there is an overall attempt to organise the argument. Linking phrases such as “Apart from that” and “On the other hand” help signal relationships between points. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow: the first body paragraph moves from fans’ waiting time to producers’ rights and then to national culture and the South Korean economy. The final paragraph also shifts between platform revenue, release timing, picture quality, subscription costs, and family outings without a clear sequence. Some references, including “these platforms” and “these rights,” are not always precise. Group related ideas and use clearer topic sentences and transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “broadcast rights,” “producer,” “subscription cost,” “entertainment industry,” and “box office,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “contribute a meaningful amount” and “plays a significant role.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, sometimes making claims less clear: “not longer important,” “it effect the desire,” and “country specific” are examples. “Solid” is used where “sold” appears intended, and “US Born” is not a natural way to describe a company’s origin. Check spelling and choose precise collocations; varying repeated words such as “platforms,” “fans,” and “important” would also make the argument more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses beginning “because” and “where,” and the main argument is generally understandable. However, errors in sentence structure and grammatical control recur. For example, “it effect the desire of fans” has an incorrect verb form, while “producer will unable to produce” is missing a necessary verb. Agreement is also inconsistent in “multiple sections that plays,” and the sentence beginning “For any country economy to grow” lacks a clear grammatical structure. Some long sentences combine several ideas without clear punctuation, particularly the sentence about Netflix contributing to the US economy. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries, then edit complex sentences to ensure each clause is complete.

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