Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-13

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)

Some individual think that it's good idea to socialise with work colleagues during evenings and weekends. Other people think it's important to keep working life entirely isolated from social life . This essay would discuss both view before giving my own opinion .

On the one hand , spending time together with colleagues outside of work helps people get to know each other builds stronger trust and communication in the office. Colleagues can share each other thoughts and problem as a result working as a team they can break down complex concepts in the office . Moreover, informal gatherings can open up opportunities to learn from colleagues which might help later in the career . Also i believe its one of the best ways to unwind .

On the other hand, people spend their most of the time in their office. Spending time alone people can recharge, rest which is necessary. Also they should spend the time with family as a responsible individual. Moreover, Not everyone enjoys the same activities, and mandatory or expected after-work events can feel like an extension of work rather than genuine relaxation. Mixing socialising with work can sometimes lead to cliques, gossip, or favoritism, making the workplace feel less fair or professional.

In my view, people should strike a balance between these circumstance . Hanging out with colleagues helps to enjoy the free time while spending time isolated helps to relax and refresh the mind . So we should do what we love to do or comfortable with.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and give a personal position: the first body paragraph explains how socialising can build trust and communication, while the second raises the need for rest, family time, and concerns about cliques or favouritism. However, several points are asserted rather than fully explained, and the conclusion that people should do what they feel comfortable with does not clearly establish how to balance the competing views. The response is also 239 words, below the required 250; 14 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Add a relevant example and develop your position more explicitly to ensure all parts are sufficiently covered.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for each view, and a concluding opinion. Linking phrases such as “On the one hand,” “Moreover,” and “On the other hand” help signal the discussion. However, progression within sentences is sometimes unclear: “Colleagues can share each other thoughts and problem as a result working as a team…” combines several ideas without clear punctuation or connection. The final paragraph also repeats the idea of balance without explaining it further. Use clearer sentence boundaries and make each paragraph develop one main point in a logical sequence; this would make the overall organisation more effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “trust,” “communication,” “informal gatherings,” “recharge,” and “favoritism,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There is some variety, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “share each other thoughts and problem,” “spending time isolated,” and “these circumstance.” These errors make parts of the response less natural and occasionally less precise. Aim to learn common word partnerships and check singular and plural forms. More precise phrasing would help you express the benefits and drawbacks of workplace socialising with greater clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “events can feel like an extension of work rather than genuine relaxation.” However, errors occur across the response and sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Examples include missing articles in “it's good idea,” subject–verb agreement in “Some individual think,” and the unclear construction “as a result working as a team they can break down complex concepts.” There are also punctuation and capitalisation problems, such as the space before the full stop in “social life .” and lowercase “i.” Practise accurate sentence boundaries, articles, agreement, and punctuation while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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