Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-06
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people regard work as the most important thing in life and have little interest in anything else. Other people are more enthusiastic about their hobbies and leisure interests than their jobs.
Discuss both these attitudes and give your own opinion.
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.
Student answer (Band 5.0)
Some people regard work as the most important thing in life and have a very little interest in anything else . These are people who believe in hard work and making money for an easy life . however, there are other people who are more enthusiastic about their hobbies like traveling , gardening , watching movies and reading books . And they leisure interests than their jobs . They are the people that usually do not enjoy their jobs . I believe that we do not have to work all day and night . Instead ,we should enjoy ourselves and take a break after 4 to 5 months . Because I believe that if a person keeps working all the time then, he will get exhausted after some time . That is why I believe in balance, otherwise we become irritated . And if a person only pursues his hobbies then he would run out of money after some time . He needs to work during working hours and enjoy at the free time . That means if we just keep working all the time and have no interest in leisure activities then we would get tired . That is why we should go on trips from time to time for mental well being . While the other person who have no interest in the work and does not work properly then he will lose his job . That is why a balance between work and leisure is the most essential thing .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both sides of the prompt and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention that work-focused individuals seek money and hobby-focused individuals may struggle financially, these points are not fully extended or supported with concrete examples. The argument remains repetitive, focusing heavily on the concept of 'balance' without exploring the deeper implications of these lifestyles. To improve, ensure each body paragraph provides a distinct, well-reasoned argument that moves beyond simple statements, perhaps by discussing the societal or psychological impacts of these choices in more detail.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay lacks a clear paragraph structure, appearing as one large block of text. This makes it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of your argument. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Instead' and 'That is why', they are often used repetitively or at the start of almost every sentence, which creates a mechanical feel. To reach a higher band, you must use clear paragraphing to separate your introduction, the discussion of both views, and your conclusion. Additionally, vary your linking words to improve the flow between sentences.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. You frequently use simple phrases like 'people', 'work', and 'enjoy'. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or precise collocations. For instance, instead of saying 'making money for an easy life', you could use 'achieving financial stability'. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to career, leisure, and work-life balance, and focus on using synonyms to avoid repeating the same words throughout the essay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the other person who have no interest'), incorrect article usage, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'And they leisure interests than their jobs'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas and periods. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like pluralization and verb tense consistency before attempting more complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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