Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-25

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)

These days some people seem to argue that cinemas and theatres are not important in today's era because people can entertain themselves online. On the other hand, others are of the opinion that cinemas and theatres are still important due to its economics and cultural values. This essay will discuss both views in detail and and explain the main reason behind every point of view.

In the first place, it would be quite true to say that people can watch every movies and other videos without going to the cinemas, it can save their money and time of travelling. For example, If people go to cinemas they need to fuel up their car's tank which cost them a lot and also it takes time to reach to cinemas or theatres from home. Yet there is a dark side of the picture which advocates that people who sit at home and enjoy through mobile have less confident and are socially inactive. For instance, If people don't meet and talk with others then how they can improve their communication skills and confidence.

Wheras, according to some school of thought it can be argued that cinemas are still important economically. For example, the person who owns a cinema or theatre would not earn money if people don't come at his cinema. In addition to this there is a prevalent belief among many people that theatres are also important due to its cultural values. One illustration of this is that people should maintain their culture, things their ansector have done in the past. Despite some advantages and positive element the downside cannot be overlooked at some claim that it is expensive to maintain cinemas and theatres. For example, if the person who owns a cinema starts maintaining it because of its cultural value then he cannot earn a living because nowadays most people prefer to watch movies or dramas at their homes.

To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that it is indeed a debatable issue which needs further consideraton and discussion. However, in the light of the above discussed argments and examples it would be quite safe to conclude that the advantages of watching videos online overweigh its disadvantages in many different aspects and far outweigh going to the cinemas and theatres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and give a clear overall preference for online entertainment in the conclusion. The discussion includes relevant points, such as saving travel costs and time, the social effects of staying at home, cinema owners’ income, and cultural value. However, the position is not consistently developed: the introduction promises to explain both views, but the body gives limited support for why cinemas and theatres matter culturally, and the economic point focuses mainly on an owner’s earnings. The claim that online viewing makes people less confident is also asserted rather than explained or supported. To strengthen the response, develop each main reason with a clearer explanation or specific example, and make your own position explicit earlier as well as in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two perspectives, and a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand,” “In addition to this,” and “To put it in a nutshell” help signal shifts between ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. In the first body paragraph, the discussion moves from online convenience to social confidence without clearly connecting these points to the view being presented. The second paragraph combines economic and cultural arguments with a counterpoint, making its central direction harder to follow. Some transitions feel formulaic, and references such as “its” do not always make clear what they refer to. Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s focus and connect examples directly to the claim they support.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “economically,” “cultural values,” “maintain,” and “communication skills,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “the downside cannot be overlooked.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “every movies,” “fuel up their car’s tank,” and “overweigh its disadvantages” do not express the intended ideas naturally. Spelling errors such as “Wheras,” “ansector,” and “consideraton” are noticeable, while phrases like “some school of thought” are not used idiomatically. Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling; a smaller set of well-controlled expressions will make the argument clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “if people don’t meet and talk with others” and a contrast introduced by “Despite.” The overall meaning can usually be followed, but errors in sentence construction and grammar recur. For example, “people can watch every movies …, it can save their money” joins two independent clauses with a comma, and “the person who owns a cinema or theatre would not earn money if people don't come at his cinema” has problems with article use and the preposition pattern. There are also agreement and number errors in “its economics and cultural values” and “every movies.” Improve control of sentence boundaries, singular and plural forms, articles, and agreement, then proofread punctuation in longer sentences.

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