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)

Nowadays,mobile phones and social media have made it easier for people to watch entertainment online without feeling the need of going to cinemas and theatres. Although this development has some disadvantages, I believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages because it helps people understand different genre of entertainment and increases their knowledge of different type of entertainments.

To begin with, one of the main advantages of this development is that entertainment is easily accessible in the digital era without needing to spend much money. This is because smart phones and social media have normalized it alot. As a result, the need of buying expensive tickets for cinemas is not there anymore. For example, people prefer watching a movie on netflix in their homes.

On the other hand, some people argures that cinemas and theatres are still important. One major arguement is that it still holds the cultural value and people end up going out under the pretext of watching a movie, which provides a cultural boost.Furthermore, this approach can can be beneficial from the economical aspect as well, which makes it beneficial for individuals and society.

In conclusion, although the theatres and cinemas are no longer important as entertainment is accessible at home in this modern era, I believe that cinemas still hold the cultural and economical significance. This is mainly because easy entertainment have made the general public somewhat lazy so, cinemas and theatre can be a great source of bringing people together in this modern yet confined era ,where everyone is glued to their phone' screen.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a view on online entertainment and acknowledge that cinemas and theatres retain cultural and economic importance. However, the response only partly fulfils the discussion task: the opening frames the issue as advantages and disadvantages, rather than clearly setting out both views, and the claim that online access helps people understand different genres is not developed. The cinema-side points—cultural value, going out, and bringing people together—are relevant, but the economic argument is asserted rather than explained or supported with an example. Your conclusion also gives mixed signals: it first says cinemas are no longer important, then argues that they remain significant. State your position consistently and explain each side with specific reasons or examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two perspectives, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “To begin with” and “On the other hand” help signal the change in viewpoint. However, progression within paragraphs is limited: the first body paragraph moves from affordability to Netflix without explaining how this supports the opening claim about understanding different genres. Some linking is mechanical, and “Furthermore” introduces an economic point that is not clearly connected to the cultural point. The conclusion’s opposing statements also weaken the overall progression. Build each paragraph around one clear main idea, then connect its explanation and example explicitly; use referencing and transitions to clarify relationships rather than simply mark stages.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “digital era,” “cultural value,” “economical aspect,” and “bringing people together.” These choices make the subject clear, but the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. For example, “the need of buying” and “a cultural boost” are not natural in these contexts, while “beneficial” is repeated in the same sentence. There are also spelling and form errors such as “arguement” and “alot,” and “different genre” needs a plural form. Aim for more precise expressions and check spelling and collocation; this will make your ideas sound clearer and more appropriately academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a concession in “Although this development has some disadvantages” and a relative clause in “which provides a cultural boost.” However, control is uneven, particularly in longer sentences, and errors sometimes make relationships between ideas harder to follow. Examples include “different type of entertainments,” “easy entertainment have made,” and “some people argures,” which show problems with number and subject–verb agreement. The final sentence also contains a comma splice and awkward punctuation around “so” and “where.” Review agreement, articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries, and divide long sentences when necessary. More accurate control of these structures would make your argument easier to read.

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