Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-01

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 8.0)

It is a general thought that spending weekends with coworkers is a great way to socialise; however, many people think that personal and professional life should be kept separate. The following essay will scrutinize both ideas before presenting my personal opinion.

On the one hand, socialising with colleagues after work and even on weekends is a great way to bond and maintain professional links that directly benefit your career. It allows you to spend more time with your team members and even with your managers, which helps in maintaining healthy relations at work. Sometimes, this also builds a personal relationship between colleagues, which boosts your willingness to come to work as it keeps the environment welcoming. For instance, going out for a few drinks after work or planning some day out on a random Saturday can act as a great way of sharing a good relation with your team and also helps when you need their assistance in your future career.

On the other hand, it is a common thought that hanging out with your work staff or boss can actually disrupt the work-life balance. This is also true because it can be really stressful to spend evenings with your managers even after a long day at work. On such exhausting days all you want is to go home ot your family and relax. Furthermore, there are multiple chores and errands to run at home. You enter into a different life once you get home. There are so many things do, like taking care of your family, doing the dishes and prepping meals for next day, and this is all skipped if you spend your only time with your work friends, and at the very end, it can leave you overstimulated and overwhelmed. For example, in 2022, a report from New York suggested that more than 50% of corporate workers had quit their jobs because of lack of work-life balance, as they had to attend multiple work events after long hours of work.

In conclusion, I would mention that maintaining a better balance could help in both situations. You can still commit to work events once in a while and also spend time with your families if you keep your priorities clear. I do believe that practising this habit will help you in your personal life as well as maintaining healthy relationships at work.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both perspectives and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the arguments regarding work-life balance and the psychological impact of over-socializing. The inclusion of a specific example regarding the New York report adds depth to the argument. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively synthesizes the two viewpoints. The response is well-structured and fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing views. The flow of information is natural, and the relationship between sentences is clear, making the text easy to follow throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses a range of topic-specific terms like 'professional links', 'work-life balance', 'overstimulated', and 'corporate workers'. While some phrasing is slightly informal (e.g., 'hanging out', 'doing the dishes'), it does not impede communication. There is an attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary, which is generally successful. A wider variety of collocations would elevate the score further, but the current range is adequate for a solid band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The student demonstrates a good command of complex sentence structures, such as the use of conditional and concessive clauses. There are occasional minor errors, such as 'ot' (typo for 'to') and 'things do' (missing 'to'), but these are rare and do not affect the clarity of the message. The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is generally accurate. The control over tense and subject-verb agreement is consistent, showing a good level of grammatical competence.

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