Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-30

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 6.5)

There has been a considerable debate whether people should socialise with work colleagues after office hours and weekends. While some people believe that it is essential to keep work and personal life separate. Although it largely depends on individuals' preferences, I believe that to for personal and professional development it is necessary to maintain work-life balance.

One the one hand, socialising with colleagues during evenings and weekends can strengthen professional relationships. Spending time with colleagues from different departments encourages friendly workplace environment and improve individuals social circle. For instance, colleagues when they know each other personally are more delighted to help each other. Moreover, companys' often organise office dinners and outings to encourage positive interactions among employees.

On the other hand, spending weekends and evenings with office colleagues can sometimes be stressful and exhausting. During such gatherings conversations are often related to business and tasks, so it could be difficult for employees to switch off from from office duties. Furthermore, some people prefer to spend their free time and weekends with their family or friends to relax after a busy day at office. Others may like to unwind by spending their evenings at home watching movies or travelling. Therefore, socialising with colleagues may be tiring or unnecessary for they as they value their privacy and work-life balance.

In conclusion, although socialising can establish stronger relationships at workplace and provide opportunities to expand social circle. Work-life balance is necessary as it provide a healthy break from busy work schedules. Therefore, I believe individuals should have choice to be part of office gathering without any impact on their professional life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task, discussing both perspectives and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, such as the point about professional relationships and the counter-argument regarding the need to 'switch off'. However, the development is slightly uneven; the conclusion introduces a new idea about the 'choice' to participate, which could have been integrated more smoothly into the body paragraphs. The position is consistent throughout, and the response meets the requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing views. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the sentence fragment in the introduction ('While some people believe...') and the slightly awkward transition in the final paragraph. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You use some good collocations like 'professional development', 'work-life balance', and 'positive interactions'. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'companys' (should be 'companies') and 'individuals social circle' (missing possessive apostrophe). While the range is sufficient to convey your ideas clearly, there is limited use of less common or more sophisticated lexical items that would elevate the score to a higher band. The vocabulary is functional but lacks variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as the sentence fragment in the first paragraph ('While some people believe that it is essential to keep work and personal life separate.'), and issues with subject-verb agreement ('it provide a healthy break'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation errors, such as the unnecessary apostrophe in 'companys''. Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. To improve, focus on ensuring that all sentences are complete and checking for subject-verb agreement.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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