Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-31

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)

Some individuals believe that it is good to spend some free time with workplace peers, while others think that it is essential to keep working life separate from the social life. This essay will argue that although keeping corporate life separate offers peace and privacy, I believe spending time with colleagues helps to reduce stress and improves work efficiency.

Many people are introverted and prefer to spend time with specific friends or family members only. It is their defence mechanism which stops them from interacting with workmates and offers them peace as well. Moreover, these individuals prioritise privacy over the social life and prefer not to discuss their private lives at workplace. This protective approach helps them ensure safety for their family. For instance, during my medical residency, I had seen many fellow fellow residents who did not socialise because they believed it disturbed their peace of mind.

On the other hand, people who spend time with their colleagues feel less stress at workplaces. It creates a friendly environment at the workplace and allows them to share their problems with their peers. Furthermore, It also helps to solve the problems more efficiently and increase their work output. This friendly atmosphere allows them to ask for help from their colleagues, which help them to learn a significant number of skills from their workmates. For instance, during my residency, a survey by HR department concluded that people who have good relation with their peers have better performance in handling medical emergencies compared to introverted workers.

In conclusion, although keeping work life separate offers workers peace of mind and privacy in their lives , I believe socialising with workplace peers helps to mitigate stress and increases work performance of people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt. You clearly present both sides of the argument and provide a personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant and supported by personal examples from your medical residency. To reach a higher band, ensure that the development of ideas is more balanced; while the second body paragraph is well-supported, the first could benefit from a more nuanced exploration of why some people value privacy, rather than focusing primarily on 'introversion' as a defense mechanism. Overall, the position is clear and consistent throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore' to guide the reader through your arguments. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing views. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother. For example, the repetition of 'during my residency' in both body paragraphs makes the structure feel a bit formulaic. Varying your linking phrases and ensuring a more natural flow between sentences would improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'mitigate stress', 'work output', and 'corporate life' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'ensure safety for their family' (which is slightly hyperbolic in this context) and 'good relation' (should be 'good relations'). You attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is good, but there is room for more sophisticated collocations to elevate the response. The vocabulary is generally accurate and does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'the social life' (should be 'social life'), 'at workplace' (should be 'at the workplace'), and 'which help them' (should be 'which helps them'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede the reader's understanding. To achieve a higher band, aim for more variety in complex sentence structures and ensure subject-verb agreement is consistent. The punctuation is generally accurate, but watch for minor errors like the space before the comma in the conclusion.

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

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