Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-26

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 6.0)

People have different views about whether we should keep hanging around with work colleagues after office hours or keep our social life separate. While both perspectives have their own merits, i believe that work colleagues can be friend and we should socialize with them because after all in some way they are like family to us.

On the other hand, there are several reasons why some people support that we should not spend our social time with our work mate. One of the main reasons is that we spend all day at work with them and if we spend more time after hours it will limit us to connect with other people out of workplace. This is because you will find comfort zone with the people you keep hanging around all day. For example if you spend more time with your colleagues you will less likely to meet new people withe different personality, as a result you will loose ability to make new friends.

On the other hand, others believe that it is a good thing if we spend more time with our work mate. The primary reason for this is if we make great bond with our colleagues that will make affect on our work. In other words, we can learn how they work and we can make change to our technique and make our excellence for instance if we had project and we know how our workmate thinks we can finish that project easily and rapidly. As a result we can grow our career very fast. I find this view more convincing because if we spend more time with our work mate eventually we make friend and also keep growing.

In conclusion, while keeping our social life separate has certain advantages, i believe spending more time with our colleagues after work hours is more beneficial.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding 'comfort zones' is a good point but could be expanded with more specific examples of how this impacts professional growth. The second body paragraph attempts to link socialising to career advancement, but the explanation is slightly repetitive and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with concrete reasoning or illustrative examples that clearly connect the social aspect to the professional outcome.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the other hand', 'In other words', and 'As a result', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the use of 'On the other hand' to introduce both the second and third paragraphs is repetitive. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'make affect on our work', which lacks a clear subject-verb connection. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common collocations, such as 'comfort zone' and 'make great bond', though the latter is slightly inaccurate (it should be 'build a strong bond'). Some word choices are repetitive, such as 'work mate' and 'colleagues'. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring correct collocations, as well as avoiding informal phrasing like 'hanging around'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'colleagues can be friend' (should be plural 'friends'), 'make affect on our work' (should be 'have an effect on'), and 'you will less likely to meet' (should be 'you will be less likely to meet'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing commas and irregular spacing. The student needs to focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and prepositions to improve accuracy.

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