Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
All university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement.
Do you think the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.0)
Technology is changing a lot nowadays, and so is the digital world. Some people think that theatres and cinemas are no longer important as they can watch all the entertainment they want online, while others argue that theatres and cinemas are still important both economically and culturally.
In today's era, people are more drawn towards watching movies and series online through OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Jio Hotstar. People prefer to watch movies on such platforms because they can get a level of comfort by watching their favourite entertainment while sitting at home and enjoying it with their family. These OTT platforms do not include movies only; they even provide a package of movies, series, serials, sports and news so that people can watch all the variety of entertainment they want online.
However, there are some special movies which people still prefer to watch in theatres and cinemas. The trend and culture of watching movies in cinemas has been followed for a long time now, and it is beneficial in economic terms too for the people working in the management of theatres. I personally prefer watching movies in cinemas because I feel I can get more connected to a movie in comparison to watching it online. Even the production team also re-releases some of their favourite movies on the demand of the fans, and there are even some actors whose movies people prefer to watch on a first-day-first-show basis.
Overall, we can conclude that theatres and cinemas are still important, following the trends and cultures of society. However, it does vary from an individual's mindset and perspective as to how they prefer watching movies.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0
The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks whether the advantages of undergraduate courses including a period of studying abroad or doing a work placement outweigh the disadvantages. However, the student wrote an entire essay about whether theatres and cinemas are still important compared to online OTT platforms. Because the student failed to address the actual prompt, the task response is severely compromised. While the student does present a clear position regarding cinemas and OTT platforms, this has no relevance to the given task. Consequently, this falls below the basic requirements of the task descriptor, leading to a low score for Task Achievement despite the essay being well-structured and clear in its own unrelated context.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
Despite being off-topic, the essay demonstrates a clear and logical structure. The text is divided into an introduction, two distinct body paragraphs discussing OTT platforms versus physical cinemas, and a concluding summary. The student uses appropriate cohesive devices such as 'In today's era', 'However', and 'Overall, we can conclude' to guide the reader smoothly through the argument. Paragraphing is used logically, with each paragraph focusing on a specific aspect of the movie-watching debate. Referencing is generally clear, meaning that structurally, the writing exhibits a much higher level of organization than the content score reflects.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for discussing general trends and personal preferences. Phrases such as 'economically and culturally', 'level of comfort', and 'first-day-first-show basis' show an attempt to use varied terminology. There are minor unnatural collocations or word choices, such as 'following the trends and cultures of society', but these do not impede communication. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate throughout the essay. The lexical range is sufficient for the task, even though the content itself is completely misdirected.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer successfully employs subordinate clauses and relative structures, such as 'Some people think that theatres and cinemas are no longer important as they can watch all the entertainment they want online'. Grammar and punctuation are handled with reasonable control, and errors are infrequent enough that they do not cause any difficulty for the reader. While the range of complex structures could be broader to reach higher bands, the grammatical control displayed here is solid and reliable.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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