Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-17

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some countries, more and more people are hiring a personal fitness trainer, rather than playing sports or doing exercise classes. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or a negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays, more and more people are choosing to hire personal fitness trainers instead of playing sports or attending exercise classes. There are several reasons for this trend. In my opinion, this is generally a **positive development**.

One main reason is that a personal trainer can provide an **individual exercise plan**. Everyone has different fitness levels and goals, so a trainer can choose exercises according to a person's needs. For example, someone who wants to lose weight may receive a different workout plan from someone who wants to build muscles. Another reason is that personal trainers can help people exercise correctly and safely. They can also motivate their clients to continue exercising regularly.

However, playing sports and joining exercise classes also have some advantages. They are often less expensive and can help people **socialise with others**. For example, playing football or badminton with friends can improve fitness while also providing entertainment.

Overall, I believe hiring a personal fitness trainer is a positive development because it provides personalised training, motivation, and guidance. However, people should choose the option that suits their budget, interests, and fitness goals.

However, playing sports and joining exercise classes can also be useful. They are usually cheaper and provide opportunities to meet new people. For instance, playing football, cricket or badminton with friends can improve physical fitness while also developing teamwork and communication skills.

In conclusion, the growing popularity of personal fitness trainers is mainly due to personalised training, professional guidance and motivation. Although sports and exercise classes are affordable and social, I believe personal training can be beneficial because people receive a workout plan that matches their individual goals and abilitie

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing the reasons behind the growing popularity of personal fitness trainers and clearly stating a position regarding whether this is a positive or negative development. The response presents relevant ideas, such as individual exercise plans and safety, and supports them with appropriate examples. However, there is some minor repetition and slight confusion in the text structure near the end, where paragraphs seem to echo earlier points about sports and exercise classes. Despite these minor organizational slips, the core requirements of the task are adequately covered, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a clear overall progression and logical organization. Paragraphs are generally structured around central themes, such as the benefits of personal trainers and the counterarguments involving sports and exercise classes. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, with phrases like 'One main reason', 'However', and 'In conclusion' guiding the reader through the argument. Nevertheless, there are some structural quirks towards the end of the essay, including duplicated thoughts about playing sports and a slight trail-off at the final sentence ('abilitie'), which mildly disrupt the flow and cohesion. Therefore, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'individual exercise plan', 'fitness levels', 'socialise with others', and 'professional guidance'. There are occasional attempts at less common vocabulary, though some phrasing remains relatively standard and straightforward. Minor spelling or typographical errors appear, such as the truncated word 'abilitie' at the very end of the response. Overall, the lexical choices are functional and clear, allowing the message to be communicated effectively without any major misunderstandings, placing this criterion at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating conditional ideas and relative clauses effectively (e.g., 'Everyone has different fitness levels and goals, so a trainer can choose exercises according to a person's needs'). There are several error-free sentences, though a few grammatical inaccuracies and repetitive loops exist within the text, alongside the incomplete sentence ending at the conclusion. Despite these flaws, the errors rarely impede communication and the basic grammatical control remains sound, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

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