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)

Several people believe that we should always interact with our office colleagues in the evenings and on weekends, whereas others argue, it is better to maintain a safe distance and keep our professional life separate. I partially believe we should interact and maintain our relationship with office colleagues, but in limited and safe manner.

On one hand, in any company we always have so many colleagues, but out of them only few become our best office partners, with whom we have more interactions about our daily life issues. We also have parties with them on weekends. These bonds help in office to understand the current internal working policies. This also helps each other to balance the office workload. Engaging in activities outside the office, such as team dinners, weekend outings, or recreational sports, can provide a relaxed setting for individuals to interact and get to know each other on a more personal level. For instance, a team-building weekend retreat can create opportunities for colleagues to bond, collaborate on tasks, and build trust, which can translate into improved teamwork and productivity in the workplace.

On the other hand, keeping work life separate from social life emphasise the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Over-socialising with colleagues may lead to blurred boundaries and potential burnout, as work-related discussions and stress may spill over into personal time. For example, regularly attending after-work gatherings might leave employees with limited time for personal pursuits or spending quality time with family and friends, impacting their overall well-being.

In conclusion, occasional social interactions can enhance teamwork and foster a positive work environment, but it is equally crucial to prioritise personal well-being and ensure a clear separation between work and personal life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task. You have discussed both perspectives and provided a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, such as the mention of 'team-building weekend retreats' to support the benefits of socialising, and the 'blurred boundaries' argument for the opposing view. To reach a higher band, ensure that your personal opinion is more consistently integrated throughout the body paragraphs rather than just stated in the introduction and conclusion. The development is logical, and the response maintains a consistent focus on the prompt throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central topic, and you use cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated to avoid a slightly mechanical feel. For example, the link between the first and second sentences in the second paragraph could be tightened to improve the overall cohesion of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'maintain a safe distance', 'blurred boundaries', and 'recreational sports' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'in limited and safe manner' (should be 'in a limited and safe manner') and 'emphasise' (should be 'emphasises' to agree with the singular subject 'keeping work life separate'). While you use some less common items, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than highly sophisticated. Increasing the use of more precise academic collocations would help elevate this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You show good control over complex sentences, such as 'Engaging in activities outside the office... can provide a relaxed setting for individuals to interact'. However, there are occasional grammatical errors, such as 'Several people believe' (where 'Some' would be more natural) and the aforementioned subject-verb agreement error with 'emphasise'. Punctuation is generally accurate, though there is a missing comma after 'others argue' in the first paragraph. The errors present do not impede communication, and the majority of your sentences are clear and well-constructed.

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