Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-12
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people think that it’s a good idea to socialise with work colleagues during evenings and weekends. Other people think it’s important to keep working life completely separate from social life.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Nowadays, people have different option about spending their free time with colleagues after work , some people believe that it is benefical of them , while rest of them think that it is crucia
to keep professional and personal life sperate . In upcoming paragraphes, i will discuss both the sides along with my option in conclusion.
On the one hand side , there are variouse reason why it is important to spend spare time with colleagues during evenings and weekends. Firstly to build strong relationship with them. To explain it , when people spend their evenings and weekends with co-workers by organizing parites and another events , because of this they can get opportunity to know more about each another's strenghts and weakness. For example , people who are working in same sectors when they have good relationship with their colleagues they easily share their personal and professional problem with each another without any hesitation . As a result , sharing problem with colleagues not only reduce stress but also build great trust om each aonther.
On the another side , people who believe that it is important to keep working life separate from personal life. The main reason is that employees need enough time to relax and spend quality time with family members, friends as well . After 8 hours shifts people feel so tied they need more time for relaxation because whole day they have stress about work and personal life . if they spend more spare time with colleagus it is hard for them to spend time near and dear ones. Resultantly, spending more time with co-workers might be create problem for them to balance their personal and professional life.
In conclusion, although both the sides have own benefits and drawbacks ,but i personal option that spending time with colleagues after office hours is more beneficial because it improve relationships among them and build strong trust .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You address both views and state a clear preference for socialising with colleagues after work. The first body paragraph gives relevant reasons, especially that informal contact can help colleagues understand one another and build trust; the second explains the need for rest and family time. These points answer the question, but some are not fully developed. For instance, the example about sharing problems is relevant, yet the link between socialising and improved workplace relationships could be explained more precisely. Your own opinion appears mainly in the conclusion rather than being reinforced through the discussion. To strengthen the response, explain the limits of your preference—for example, that socialising should be optional and balanced with time for family and rest—and develop each reason with a specific example.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. The contrast between the positions is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the one hand” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. However, some linking is mechanical or awkward, including “On the another side” and the repeated use of “As a result” and “Resultantly.” Several sentences also contain unclear connections, such as “Firstly to build strong relationship with them” and the sentence beginning “when people spend their evenings… because of this.” Use complete topic sentences and connect each explanation directly to its supporting example. Clearer referencing and fewer formulaic transitions would make the progression smoother.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use enough vocabulary to discuss workplace relationships and work–life balance, including “colleagues,” “professional and personal life,” “relax,” and “build strong trust.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “quality time” and “near and dear ones.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the phrasing less natural: “benefical,” “sperate,” “strenghts,” and “tied” appear where the intended meaning is “beneficial,” “separate,” “strengths,” and “tired.” Some collocations are also awkward, such as “share their personal and professional problem” and “spend time near and dear ones.” Check spelling carefully and learn common word partnerships, such as “build rapport,” “share concerns,” and “maintain a work–life balance.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “when,” “because,” and “although,” and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. For example, “when people spend their evenings… because of this they can get opportunity” combines clauses without a clear grammatical structure, while “spending more time with co-workers might be create problem” has an incorrect verb pattern. There are also errors with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, as in “it improve relationships” and the lowercase “if” after a full stop. Practise building complex sentences around one clear main clause, and check subject–verb agreement, verb forms, articles, and punctuation before submitting.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.