Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-29

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 6.5)

In some countries, more and more people are choosing to hire a personal fitness trainers instead of playing sports or attending exercise classes. This is mainly because personal trainers provide individual support and flexible training. Although this choices has some benefits, I believe it is a negative development since it can be expensive and reduce social interaction.

One main reason for this trend is that personal trainers create exercise plans according to each persons need and goals. For example, a trainer can help someone loseweight, build muscles or improve their general health. Another reason is that many people have busy lifestyles. They may not have to attend regular classes or play sports with others. Therefore, private training can be more convenient for them.

However, there are some disadvantages to hiring a personal trainer. Firstly, private training can be quite expensive, especially if a person needs a trainer several times a week. In comparison, playing sports with friends or joining a group exercise classes usually cheaper. Secondly, people may have fewer opportunities to communicate with others. For instance, sports such as football, basketball or volleyball allow people to make friends and work as a team. Exercise classes can also create a friendly and social environment.

In conclusion, people are increasingly using personal trainers as they want personalised training, motivation and flexible schedules. However, I believe this is a negative development overall. Personal training can be expensive and may reduce social interaction. In my view, playing sports or joining exercise classes can be a better way to stay fit while also meeting new people and enjoying physical activity together.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the reasons for hiring a personal fitness trainer and whether this is a positive or negative development. A clear position is established in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. The reasons provided, such as personalised exercise plans and flexible scheduling, are relevant and extended with appropriate supporting explanations and examples. Similarly, the negative aspects, including cost and reduced social interaction, are clearly articulated and supported. The ideas are well-developed and fit comfortably within the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression from the introduction through the body paragraphs to the conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are employed to guide the reader through the argument. While some of the cohesive transitions are slightly mechanical, referencing and progression remain clear throughout the essay, aligning well with the requirements for a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'individual support', 'flexible training', 'busy lifestyles', and 'social environment'. There are some minor lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'choose to hire a personal fitness trainers' (plural/singular mismatch) and 'loseweight' (spacing issue), as well as 'group exercise classes' instead of 'group exercise class'. However, these vocabulary slips do not impede communication, and the writer makes successful attempts at less common vocabulary, justifying a Band 6.0 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional-like clauses and subordinate structures ('Although this choices has some benefits, I believe...'). There are some noticeable grammatical errors, such as 'this choices' (plural agreement error), 'loseweight' (punctuation/spacing error), and 'group exercise classes usually cheaper' (missing verb 'are'). Despite these errors in grammar and punctuation, the sentences remain largely clear and rarely impede communication, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.

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