Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-08

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 7.0)

While many people argue that socialising with co-workers after working hours is beneficial, others opine that a person's personal and professional life should be separate. In my opinion, maintaining relationships with colleagues during evening and weekends are advantageous because of changing work environment and creating unforgettable memories.

On the one side of the argument, there are several individuals who consider that professionals should not spend their leisure time with their colleagues. The most compelling reason behind this is reducing time for family members. As working people already spend most of their time at their workplaces, they should spend their free time with their close relations such as spouse, parents or children. For example, if adults always give priority to their friends from office, their family may feel ignored which may disturb their personal life. Moreover, hanging out with work colleagues may have a detrimental impact on their work performance. To exemplify, if a manager spends siginificant time with their team out of office, the team members may become too comfortable with their boss that employees do not want to take any instructions from the employer at work either. Therefore, to maintain professional boundaries at workplaces, it is crucial to maintain a work-life balance.

Despite the above arguments, I am of the view that it’s a good idea to socialise with work colleagues outside the workplaces. Indeed, one reason why I take this position is that making friends at workplace contributes to people's happiness. Having close work relationships makes the monotonous jobs quite enjoyable as work colleagues support each other when they have good relations. Thus, individuals feel motivated to perform better with each other's support. Furthermore, it is my firm belief that maintaining trustworthy relations at workplaces makes the work environment positive. Due to spending most of the time at workplaces, people do not get time to enjoy their social life separately. They can easily enjoy their social life along with earning money if they have some true friends at work. This is only possible if they enjoy some off-work moments and create memories with each other.

In conclusion, although both views are commonly held in the society, I believe that socialising with co-workers should be normalised as it may help to reduce the stress at jobs and make new friends who can support them in personal and professional life both.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both perspectives and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. For instance, the argument regarding the potential for blurred professional boundaries is a sophisticated point. However, some arguments, such as the claim that socialising is the only way to enjoy social life while earning money, are slightly over-generalised. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarises the main points. To reach a higher band, ensure that all supporting points are fully explored without relying on sweeping generalisations about workplace dynamics.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints and the author's own stance. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one side of the argument', 'Moreover', and 'Despite the above arguments' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, there are minor instances where the flow could be smoother; for example, the transition between the benefits of socialising and the conclusion could be more nuanced. Overall, the referencing is clear, and the structure supports the development of the argument well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You demonstrate a good range of topic-specific language, such as 'professional boundaries', 'work-life balance', and 'detrimental impact'. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'normalised' in the conclusion, which is slightly awkward in this context. Additionally, there is a spelling error ('siginificant'). While the range is sufficient to convey meaning with precision, incorporating more sophisticated, less common lexical items would help elevate the score to the next level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over grammar, though some errors persist. For example, there is a subject-verb agreement error in the introduction: 'maintaining relationships... are advantageous' should be 'is advantageous'. Another error occurs in the second paragraph: 'employees do not want to take any instructions... that employees do not want' is slightly repetitive and grammatically clunky. Despite these slips, the errors do not impede communication, and the majority of the sentences are clear and well-structured.

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