Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-02

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 5.5)

Although socialising with colleagues can strengthen professional relationships and improve teamwork, I believe that maintaining a clear boundary between work and personal life is more beneficial in the long term.

While spending time with the coworkers can create a friendly working environment, some people prefer to keep their professional and personal lives separate. If they spent more time together their families will be more involved in the ups and downs of life.

If they are working as a team maybe they are also hitting the nail on the head too in every difficult situation. For instance, if a school principal is working hard to meet both ends together and she is having good terms with the other colleges as well the teachers will work more efficiently making sure that there is no complain so that the terms may stay good with that head.

considering the second example, if colleagues plan a dinner together somewhere out, they may become more comfortable and can have better communication and teamwork in the workplace.

In contrast, there are some people who choose to maintain a boundary and a balance between personal and professional life as workplace conflicts become more complicated. Rather than that they prefer spending their evenings with their families and feel stress free and more relax. For example, they can have a quality time together as a family and better understanding.

In cooperate offices usually the manager wants that their team should generate more leads and want everyone into their clusters and just work which can be considered toxic sometimes for the employees.

I strongly believe that there should be a boundary between working life and social life in order to have quality time with family and a healthy mental health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The paragraph discussing the school principal is confusing and lacks a clear link to the prompt's core theme of socialising outside work hours. The argument regarding 'toxic' office culture is relevant but remains under-developed. To improve, ensure each paragraph focuses on a single, well-explained point that directly supports your position. While the task is addressed, the lack of depth in the supporting arguments prevents it from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'Rather than that' is used incorrectly to transition between ideas, and the connection between the school principal example and the broader topic is weak. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'the terms may stay good with that head.' Improving the logical flow between sentences and using a wider variety of linking words would enhance the overall coherence of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of awkward phrasing and incorrect collocations. Phrases like 'meet both ends together' (should be 'make ends meet') and 'no complain' (should be 'no complaints') indicate a lack of precision. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'professional relationships' and 'workplace conflicts,' the range is limited. To achieve a higher score, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive or slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'hitting the nail on the head' in an inappropriate context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the manager wants that their team should generate'), incorrect article usage, and punctuation errors. For instance, 'feel stress free and more relax' should be 'feel stress-free and more relaxed.' While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors would be highly beneficial.

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

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