Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-07

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 6.0)

Whether to socialize with work colleagues outside the confines of the workspace remains a topic of debate. While some people are in support of this, others are of the opinion of keeping social life should be distinct from office life. This essay will discuss both view and as well give my opinion.

On the one hand, people who support keeping work life separate from office life do so for a number of reasons. Firstly, for professionalism. Many people believe that keeping home activities away from work, helps them keep and maintain their work boundaries with colleague without letting them in to their personal space.

Secondly, to prevent scandals. Many work-related scandals have been reported on the social media across the globe. Some employers have been falsely accused of having sexual intimacy with their employees because of the unseemly closeness they have with each other, while all there is, is plethora and work-related.

On the other hand, the second group of people who support socialization with co-workers do so to promote friendliness in workplace. When colleagues turn friends, it is easier to work together with greater understanding and cooperation thereby promoting productivity. For example, it is easier for colleagues who socialize, to let each other in to their struggles, and receive support when need be.

Again, weekend and evening dates with work partners promotes relaxation. colleagues can cool off work stress over coffee dates. During this time, they can discuss their success and challenges at work while receiving constructive opinions and support from others, helping them build a better skill towards career progress. For example, when I landed my recent job, I was totally lost in the language and culture of the community. But when I socialized with other colleague during a birthday party, I received a lot of support and advice on how to navigate these difficulties, and this propelled the success of my career there.

In conclusion, socializing with co-workers has its downsides, but its benefits in terms of providing friendship, promoting productivity, as well as propelling career growth for individuals cannot be overlooked and I strongly believe with greater cooperation at work more will be achieved effortlessly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both perspectives and gives a clear preference for socialising with colleagues, especially in the conclusion. The reasons are relevant: separation is linked to professional boundaries and avoiding misunderstandings, while socialising is connected to cooperation, relaxation and career support. The personal example about receiving help after starting a new job gives the second view useful, specific support. However, the discussion is uneven: the risks of mixing work and social life are asserted rather than explained in depth, and the point about scandals is unclear, particularly “while all there is, is plethora and work-related.” To strengthen the response, explain more precisely how socialising can blur boundaries and develop the first viewpoint as fully as the benefits.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion that restates your position. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the argument, and the personal example is placed appropriately within the benefits paragraph. This coherent arrangement is partly offset by mechanical sequencing with “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Again,” and by some unclear links between ideas. For instance, the sentence about scandals does not clearly show how the example supports keeping work and social life separate. Improve progression by making each paragraph’s main point explicit and using transitions that show the relationship between the explanation and its example.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “professionalism,” “boundaries,” “constructive opinions,” “cooperation,” and “career progress.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and phrases such as “cool off work stress” show an attempt to use less common language. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which reduces precision: “socialization” is less natural here than “socialising,” “work partners” is unclear for colleagues, and “propelling the success of my career” sounds unnatural. The phrase “there is, is plethora and work-related” is also difficult to interpret. Aim for more natural collocations and check that each phrase expresses the intended meaning clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “When colleagues turn friends, it is easier to work together…” and the longer sentence beginning “For example, when I landed my recent job…”. Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain and occasionally make sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “discuss both view” instead of a plural form, “keeping social life should be distinct,” and “colleague” where a plural is needed. There are also problems with sentence boundaries and capitalisation, as in “relaxation. colleagues can cool off…”. Review agreement, articles, plural forms and punctuation, and edit longer sentences to ensure their clauses are connected accurately.

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