Hustlers IELTS | Cambridge IELTS 15 (GT) | Band 7–9 Strategy + Model Answer
This is a two-part Task 2 question. That means your essay must do two jobs—clearly:
- Explain why crime novels and TV crime dramas are popular
- Give your opinion of crime fiction and crime dramas
If you only explain the trend and forget to give a personal view, you’re not fully answering the task. If you only give your opinion and don’t explain popularity, same mistake, same lost marks.
This post shows you exactly how to handle it with a clean plan and a high-band model response.
The Task (Cambridge IELTS 15 General Training)
In many countries today, crime novels and TV crime dramas are becoming more and more popular.
- Why do you think these books and TV shows are popular?
- What is your opinion of crime fiction and TV crime dramas?
Hustlers IELTS 5-Step Approach
Step 1: Understand the Task (Be Precise)
The task is about:
- Crime novels
- TV crime dramas
Not:
- Crime documentaries
- Crime news reports
- General “crime in society”
- Random action films
Also, don’t overthink “becoming more and more popular” vs “are popular”. The question is clear: why are they popular today?
A strong rewording is:
- Why are crime novels and TV crime dramas popular?
- What do I think of them?
Step 2: Decide Your Position (Even If You Dislike the Topic)
You do not need to love the topic to write a strong essay. You need a defensible position.
A strong, realistic stance:
-
People like crime stories because:
- They follow a satisfying moral pattern: good triumphs over evil
- People are fascinated by criminal lifestyles and want escapism
-
Personal opinion:
- Not very interested in fictional crime plots (often repetitive)
- More interested in true-crime dramatisations because they teach psychology/social history
That’s clear, honest, and easy to develop.
Step 3: Plan (Simple, Efficient)
- Intro: paraphrase + 2 key reasons preview
- BP1: good vs evil + detective example
- BP2: fascination/escapism + example
- BP3: your opinion + why (fiction vs true crime)
- Conclusion: summarise + restate opinion
Step 4: Write
Execute the plan. Don’t improvise halfway through.
Step 5: Check
Quickly check:
- Answered both questions?
- Clear opinion paragraph?
- Any obvious grammar slips?
- Paragraphing clear?
Band 7–9 Model Essay (Crime Novels / TV Crime Dramas)
Stories about criminal activity, both fictional and real-life, have become increasingly popular over the last few decades. There are many possible reasons for this, but the two primary ones that I can think of are the underlying desire of people to see good overcome evil, and a fascination with criminal lifestyles.
Almost all stories about crime, whether in print or on TV, are about good people, such as detectives and law-abiding civilians, triumphing over bad people, namely criminals. We often see this in fictional detective stories, where an otherwise ordinary person uses their intellect and skill to identify evil criminal masterminds. A good example of this is Miss Marple, an elderly woman who always manages to track down and apprehend evil criminals.
A second reason is that people have a fascination with the lives of criminals. Perhaps this is to do with people’s need for escapism. One of the most popular crime dramas in the UK of the last 20 years was ‘Legend’, a dramatisation of the lives of the Kray Twins, two violent London gang leaders of the 1960s. The film, which I watched on TV, portrayed their violent behaviour, along with their opulent and chaotic lifestyles, and I do feel that people find this compelling viewing, despite how it shows evil people succeeding.
Personally, unless it is related to real-life stories, I have little interest in either crime fiction or crime drama. I find their plots too repetitive. With true crime stories, however, I can learn something about social history and psychology. Why, for example, do people turn to lives of crime? Is it simply for money, or are they motivated by power as well? And what causes people to join gangs and follow people like the Krays? These are all interesting questions.
In summary, a desire to see good triumph over evil, along with a fascination with evil, are two reasons I think underlie the popularity of crime stories, but my interest in them is mainly limited to dramatisations of real lives.
(335 words)
Why This Essay Scores High
1) It Answers Both Parts Cleanly
- Reasons for popularity: two well-developed causes
- Opinion: direct, explained, and consistent
2) It Uses Specific, Relevant Examples
Miss Marple = clear example of the “detective defeats criminal” pattern.
‘Legend’ = supports the “fascination with criminals” point.
3) It Uses Strong, Precise Vocabulary (Without Forcing Synonyms)
The essay repeats “crime” and “criminal”—and that’s smart.
In IELTS, accuracy beats “variety for the sake of variety.”
Replacing “crime” with “offence” or “illegal activity” often makes your meaning weaker, broader, and less natural.
High-Impact Vocabulary & Collocations to Reuse
- criminal activity
- increasingly popular
- the two primary reasons
- good overcome evil / good triumph over evil
- law-abiding civilians
- an otherwise ordinary person
- evil criminal masterminds
- track down and apprehend
- a fascination with criminal lifestyles
- people’s need for escapism
- opulent and chaotic lifestyles
- compelling viewing
- plots too repetitive
- social history and psychology
- turn to lives of crime
- motivated by power
Use these naturally and your Lexical Resource score climbs.
Hustlers IELTS Final Word
You don’t need to “love” the topic to score high. You need:
- Two strong reasons
- One clear opinion
- One controlled structure
- Precise vocabulary