Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-28

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 7.0)

In recent rimes, many people prefer to employ the services of personal fitness trainer instead of engaging in exercise classes or participating in sports. While this is good as it makes one more focused with clear goals to achieve, I believe this development may not be entirely beneficial to people in the long run.

One one hand, people tend to take exercises more serious when they are paying for it and someone is there to remind them or motivate them of their goals. Having someone constantly messaging them on what needs to be done, when and where, help to keep them on their toes. Furthermore, it is more flexible with personal coaches who can work with the busy schedule of most people, thereby making keeping fit more feasible. This unfortunatlely, is not obtainable with playing sports or doing exercise classes due to their fixed timetables.

On the other hand, it can be quite expensive to hire a personal fitness trainer and this may not be maintained in the long run in terms of finance. For instance, some fitness experts charge as high as $200 per hour, whereas sports clubs or exercise facilities only charge that amount per year. In addition, there is little or no socializing when people hire personal trainers. They do not have the opportunity to meet other people like themelves who are also trying to keep fit, and share their stories or connections. For example, exercise groups tend to organise events from time to time which keeps people motivated and make them a community. Also, sports clubs do participate in local or national events which make it worthwhile for their members.

To conclude, although hiring personal fitness coach is great for people with busy lives who want something flexible and goal oriented, participating in sports or engaging in exercise classes can help one build a trusted community who share similar goals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt, exploring both the reasons why people hire personal fitness trainers and whether this trend is positive or negative. A clear position is established in the introduction ('I believe this development may not be entirely beneficial') and maintained throughout the essay. The reasons are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as comparing the hourly cost of a personal trainer with yearly gym memberships. The ideas are well-developed, covering aspects like flexibility, motivation, cost, and socialization. Although there is a slight typo in the opening sentence ('rimes' instead of 'times'), the task response is well-rounded and hits all the required communicative goals effectively, demonstrating solid Band 7 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information and ideas are structured into distinct, logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction, moving to the reasons in the second paragraph, followed by the disadvantages in the third paragraph, and concluding nicely. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'One one hand,' 'Furthermore,' and 'On the other hand,' although 'One one hand' contains a minor typographical slip. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes, ensuring the progression of thought is easy to follow. Referencing is generally clear, and overall cohesion supports the flow of the argument well, earning a solid Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision to discuss fitness and lifestyle choices. Phrases like 'engaging in exercise classes,' 'busy schedule,' and 'goal oriented' show a good command of topic-specific language. Less common items such as 'feasible' and 'socializing' are attempted with an awareness of style. However, there are some minor mechanical and word choice inaccuracies, such as the typographical error 'rimes' in the first sentence and 'unfortunatlely' in the second paragraph. Additionally, phrases like 'take exercises more serious' should be grammatically adjusted ('seriously'). Despite these minor lexical flaws, communication is never impeded, meriting a Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional clauses and relative clauses (e.g., 'while this is good as it makes one more focused,' 'people tend to take exercises more serious when they are paying for it'). There is good control of punctuation overall, though a few grammatical errors persist, such as 'take exercises more serious' instead of 'seriously,' and the missing article in 'personal fitness trainer' in the opening sentence. Complex sentences are generally well-handled, and errors are infrequent enough that they do not impede communication, allowing for a Band 6.5 classification.

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