Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-09

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)

Co-workers are an important part of every worker's life. A large number of people think that it is a great idea to be friends with them by spending some time together after the working hours which is opposed by many on the ground by saying that personal and professional lives should be kept different. I strongly think that there is no harm in spending time with colleagues to build a better relationship.

The most prominent point is that by spending quality time with the people a person works with can lead to build a wonderful friendship which can stay with them for their lifetime. To elaborate on it, co-workers are the people with who we spend the most of our day with and if we build a good relationship with them then nothing can stop to turn the co-operate life into a unforgettable time of the life.

Apart from this, not only involving with work colleagues does makes the working life easy but also builds a support in the personal life. To explain it, knowing each other better in the office will pave a path to understand their personal lives including their problems in a better way which results in being an extra support for each other in the bad situations. For example, if one co-worker is facing a financial difficulty then other one will help him/her in that situation if they are aware of it which makes the life of a person weigh more easier at every step.

In conclusion, I wholeheartedly hold the view that it is very important to spend good time with the colleagues to experience a joyfull life at a personal as well as professional level.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your opinion is clear: you support socialising with colleagues, and the two body paragraphs give relevant reasons, including friendship and mutual support. The example of helping a colleague with financial difficulties makes the second reason more concrete. However, the task asks you to discuss both views, and the opposing position is only briefly mentioned in the introduction; you do not explain why people may want to keep work and social life separate. Your supporting ideas are also asserted more than fully developed—for instance, the claim that a workplace friendship can last a lifetime needs explanation or qualification. Address each side in a separate, developed paragraph and make the reasoning behind your examples clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two supporting paragraphs and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “To elaborate on it,” “Apart from this,” and “For example” help signal the relationship between ideas. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, and both body paragraphs support the same position without a paragraph developing the opposing view. Some references are also unclear: in “if they are aware of it,” the reader must infer who “they” refers to. The long opening sentence combines the two views and your opinion, making the central contrast harder to follow. Use clearer topic sentences, develop one main point per paragraph, and make pronoun references explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic-related vocabulary, including “professional lives,” “quality time,” “financial difficulty,” and “support,” which helps communicate your ideas. There are also attempts at less common expressions, but several are inaccurate or unnatural and make the message less fluent. For example, “on the ground by saying” does not naturally introduce a reason, “turn the co-operate life into a unforgettable time” is unclear, and “makes the life of a person weigh more easier” is not an appropriate collocation. Spelling errors such as “joyfull” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural phrases rather than elaborate wording, and check spelling and collocations when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional clauses such as “if we build a good relationship” and a longer example beginning “if one co-worker is facing a financial difficulty.” These attempts show some range, and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, errors recur in complex sentences and sometimes make the reader work to interpret the message. Examples include “can lead to build” instead of a correctly formed infinitive or gerund construction, “with who” instead of “with whom,” and “does makes” where the auxiliary and main verb do not agree. Articles and sentence construction also need attention, as in “a unforgettable time.” Practise checking verb patterns, agreement and articles, then divide overloaded sentences into clearer units.

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