Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-24

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)

In today's technological era, few individuals think theatres and cinemas lost their significance because public can see anything basically for free online. While others point of view is these things are still part of our custom and traditions, also they are budget friendly. I partly agree to the importance of cinemas and theatres in our digital world where any sort of recreation is available in a second.

Firstly, theatres and cinemas consume alot of time as in ticket booking, looking for seats, and following a specified time for watching a movie or film. Occasionally public go to cinemas and lose much of there everyday time because a person has to get through large number of complications before entering into the hall. Once, me and my friends watched a movie in our hometown but faced alot of obstacles till reaching the theatre.

On the contrary, such applications had been developed which enable us to watch anything at anytime or anywhere. These apps help us in saving time, money and the freedom of place. For instance, Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. where we can just with one time subcription see as much movies as we want to, no need for a specific time or place to go. These sort of freedoms make it a better choice.

In conclusion, I think nowadays people are using various applications for the purpose of entertainment. It helps them in different aspects as compared to the old cinemas and theatres era but it varies from person to person. Like some movies are released first in cinemas only so people buy their tickets. So both have their significance at their own and one can't be ignored totally.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear, though qualified, opinion in the opening (“I partly agree”) and conclusion, and you mention online viewing as convenient as well as cinemas’ continuing appeal. However, the discussion does not fully address both views as set out in the question. The first body paragraph mainly lists the time and inconvenience involved in going to a cinema, while the opposing view is reduced to a brief claim that cinemas are “part of our custom and traditions” and “budget friendly”; neither cultural nor economic importance is explained. Your personal cinema anecdote is relevant but does not develop the argument. To strengthen the response, explain how cinemas support jobs or local economies and how shared viewing or live performance contributes to culture, then support each point with a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “Firstly,” “On the contrary,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the broad direction. However, progression within the argument is uneven: the first body paragraph focuses on inconvenience, and the second on streaming convenience, so the two views in the prompt are not developed as balanced, distinct arguments. Some links are also awkward or unclear, particularly “While others point of view is…” and “These sort of freedoms make it a better choice,” where the reference of “it” is not precise. Organise each body paragraph around one side of the debate, and use clearer links between claims, explanations, and examples.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “ticket booking,” “subcription,” “applications,” “entertainment,” and “released first in cinemas.” This is enough to communicate the main ideas, and some phrases show an attempt to discuss the topic specifically. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as “public” for people in general, “custom and traditions,” and “old cinemas and theatres era.” There are also spelling errors, including “alot” and “subcription,” and repetition of broad terms such as “things” and “anything” limits precision. Aim for more accurate collocations and specific vocabulary—for example, refer to “streaming platforms,” “shared cultural experiences,” or “the film industry’s economic contribution”—and proofread spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex forms, including a contrast clause beginning “While…” and a relative clause in “applications which enable us…”. The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms recur. For example, “few individuals think theatres and cinemas lost their significance” needs a more suitable tense or construction, while “Once, me and my friends watched…” has an awkward subject form and “a person has to get through large number” is missing an article. The opening sentence beginning “While others point of view…” is also incomplete as written. Work on complete clause structure, subject–verb agreement, articles, and consistent tense; then check punctuation and sentence boundaries to make complex sentences clearer.

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