Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

The idea to keep the boundary with the work and social life tends to confuse people as most people spend half of the day at work and to not show a little compassion and kindness to the fellow colleagues they work with will make the environment toxic in some way. This essay will discuss both of the view point in detail with the relevant examples which clears my argument that socializing with workers on job can be great for some people.

Firslty, humans have tendency to judge people on their visual apperance and their daily habits that they are acustom to and that is the primary reason we see people of the same culture or ethincity sides goes along well. Its important to know the colleague for some time before deepening the bonding to spend time on evenings and offdays after the work. Speaking of my experience; I made two friends at work in the past three years we do hangout on weekend for happy hour to unwind and also with the family on occassion.

On the contrary the idea to keep life separate comes at some places is not new as some people become bias and too frank at times to pass vague comments which might cause some disputes overtime. To give an illustration my brother had dinner with the fellow colleagues and in the conversation he mistakenly conveyed about the vacation he was planning. On the next week when he sent request for timeoff, immediately the manager declined as one of his friend applied his leave same days just previous week. That made him furious about the backstabbing he felt in the moment then he cut the ties going further.

Human needs to be vulnerable to develop new friendship and relationship with the people to make the working environment enjoyable. I also believe some workplaces are quite toxic to trust and it also depends upon the personality to start such bonding at firstplace and that ability differs significantly to one other.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and give a clear overall preference for socialising with colleagues, especially in the opening and conclusion. The examples are relevant: your weekend gatherings illustrate the benefits, while your brother’s declined leave request shows how personal relationships can create tension. This meets the task, but the discussion is unevenly developed. The first view is supported mainly by your personal example, while the claim that colleagues’ kindness prevents a toxic environment is asserted rather than explained. The second example also needs a clearer link to why keeping work and social life separate is generally beneficial. Develop each view with a reason and explain how the example supports it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “On the contrary” help signal the shift between perspectives, and the examples are placed with the relevant arguments. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several ideas are compressed into long sentences. The opening sentence, for instance, moves from boundaries to compassion and workplace toxicity without clearly showing the connection. Some linking phrases, including “Speaking of my experience” and “To give an illustration,” feel formulaic, while “the idea to keep life separate comes at some places” is unclear. Use simpler topic sentences and clearer references to connect each reason to its example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of vocabulary relevant to workplace relationships, including “compassion,” “toxic,” “bonding,” “disputes,” and “backstabbing.” These choices help communicate both the positive and negative sides of socialising with colleagues. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “visual appearance,” “ethnicity sides goes along well,” and “start such bonding at firstplace.” Spelling errors, including “Firslty,” “apperance,” and “occassion,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for natural, precise phrases rather than translating ideas word by word; for example, use “colleagues from similar backgrounds may get along” and “form friendships.” Proofreading for spelling and word forms would make your meaning more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “as,” “before,” and “which,” and your meaning is generally understandable. Some sentences, however, contain errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “humans has tendency” needs a plural subject with “have a tendency,” while “that made him furious … then he cut the ties” joins two complete ideas without suitable punctuation or a connector. In “the primary reason we see people … sides goes along well,” the clause structure and agreement are difficult to control. Practise building complex sentences around one clear main clause, and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation when editing.

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