Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-20

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)

While some believe that it is better to socialise with colleagues during evenings and weekends, others argue that it is crucial to keep working life completely separate from social life. Although both viewpoints have merit, I would argue that spending time with colleagues after office hours will strengthen interpersonal relations and improve collaboration at workplace.

On the one hand, proponents who suggest that colleagues should socialise after work and weekends.

A key reason is that spending time with each other will encourage mutual respect and understanding. For instance, someone who go out with their work collegues to play games or watch a movie, tend to develop strong and enduring relationships. If co-workers spend more time together after work, they are more likely to know them at more personal level. The time spent will encourge colleagues to develop ethics, communication and respect required at professional settings.

On the other hand, opponents believe that it is pivotal to keep professional life separate from social life. This is largely because of risk to share our personal life. For example, many people do not prefer to involve collegues in their personal lives because they respect privacy and space. When people spend more time together after work, they are more prone to share their private life with their colleagues. Furthermore, having life outside of office hours will give them more freedom and independence. As a result, it is extremely important to keep our private life separate from work life.

In conclusion, some segments of population argue that colleagues should socialise together after office hours, whereas others think that keeping social life away from professional life is essential. From my perspective, I believe spending quality time with colleagues will facilitate strong relationships and encourge workplace collaboration.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both views and gives a clear opinion: the introduction and conclusion support socialising with colleagues to strengthen relationships and collaboration. The first body paragraph explains benefits such as mutual respect and understanding, with an example of colleagues playing games or watching a movie. The opposing view is also relevant, particularly the concern about privacy and independence. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others: the claim that socialising helps colleagues “develop ethics” is unclear, and the privacy argument would benefit from explaining how boundaries can be maintained without avoiding colleagues altogether. More specific examples and fuller explanation would make the discussion more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for each view, and a conclusion that restates the writer’s position. Linking phrases such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help signal the progression. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and the opening of the first body paragraph is incomplete: “On the one hand, proponents who suggest that colleagues should socialise after work and weekends.” This is a fragment rather than a complete topic sentence. Some ideas also repeat, especially the conclusion’s restatement of the introduction. Use complete topic sentences and connect each example more explicitly to the point it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for discussing workplace relationships and privacy, and the response attempts some less common expressions, including “mutual respect,” “enduring relationships,” “pivotal,” and “independence.” Meaning remains clear overall. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “develop ethics,” “risk to share our personal life,” and “at more personal level.” There are also spelling errors, including “collegues” and “encourge,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural combinations and check spelling carefully; for example, explain that socialising can build trust or rapport rather than “develop ethics.” Greater precision would make the argument sound more fluent and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex forms, including a concessive opening (“Although both viewpoints have merit”) and conditional structures (“If co-workers spend more time together…”). Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. The first body paragraph begins with a sentence fragment: “On the one hand, proponents who suggest…” In “someone who go out,” the verb does not agree with its subject, and “tend to develop” also needs to agree with “someone.” Articles and sentence patterns need attention in phrases such as “at more personal level” and “because of risk to share.” Review complete sentence formation, subject–verb agreement, and article use while continuing to practise varied sentence structures.

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