Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-02

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 5.0)

Cinemas provide people a break from reality. For few hours, a person can forget everything and just focus on the characters in the movie. People tend to connect with these characters and understand them. Cinemas potray all kinds of emotions like happiness, sadness, thrilling, scary. They keep people on the edge of their seats. Up untill a few years back, people used to crowd theatres or cinemas to watch a movie while nowadays some prefer to watch it on the smaller screen online. It depends from person to person, how they would want to watch a movie.

Some believe movies are meant to be watched on the big screen, they provide an experience like none other. People remove time from their busy schudule to watch a movie in theatres. For many it is quality time spent with their family or loved ones. Popcorn is just an excuse for some. It is like a planned outing for many. Many people go the cinemas just for the overall experience as well as for their love of movies.

Since recently, OTT platforms have created a new buzz in the cinema industry. The thought of watching a movie from any place in the world or any device even is so feasible to a lot of people. People can watch it from their bedroom or while travelling it provides a sense of comfort. It costs less compared to cinemas as well.

Both options have their advantages and

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You introduce relevant ideas about the cinema experience and the convenience of online viewing, including family outings, comfort, and lower cost. However, the response only partially addresses the prompt: the economic and cultural importance of theatres and cinemas is not explained, and the two views are not developed with specific supporting examples. Your own opinion is also unclear; “It depends from person to person” does not establish which view you support. The final sentence, “Both options have their advantages and”, is unfinished, leaving the discussion and conclusion incomplete. The response is also below the required 250 words. To improve, state your position clearly, discuss both sides directly, and develop each main point with an example and explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has paragraph breaks and a broadly understandable movement from the cinema experience, to reasons for attending, and then to online platforms. This gives the reader some sense of topic progression. However, the ideas are not arranged into a complete discussion of both views, and the final paragraph ends mid-sentence, so there is no conclusion or clear overall progression to a final position. Connections between points are often loose: for example, the opening description of emotions in films does not clearly lead into the later argument about cinemas’ cultural or economic value. Use a clear structure—one paragraph for each view, followed by your opinion—and link each example explicitly to the point it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonably varied set of topic-related expressions, such as “break from reality,” “quality time,” “overall experience,” and “sense of comfort.” These help communicate the appeal of both cinema visits and online viewing. There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice problems, including “potray,” “untill,” and “schudule,” as well as the awkward phrase “created a new buzz in the cinema industry.” Some wording is vague or repetitive, particularly repeated references to “people” and “watch a movie.” Aim for more precise language about the task’s central themes, such as cultural influence, employment, revenue, accessibility, and shared viewing, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate mostly understandable ideas using a mixture of short statements and some longer structures, such as “People can watch it from their bedroom or while travelling.” However, sentence control is uneven, and several sentences join independent ideas with commas rather than appropriate punctuation. For example, “Some believe movies are meant to be watched on the big screen, they provide an experience like none other” is a comma splice. The sentence beginning “People can watch it from their bedroom or while travelling” also needs clearer punctuation or a conjunction before “it provides.” The unfinished final sentence further weakens accuracy. Practise combining clauses with conjunctions and using full stops or semicolons to make relationships between ideas clear.

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