Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-15

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 5.5)

Is it true that work plays an important role in our society? As a matter of fact, few masses reckon work as the most essential thing in life and have little interest in anything else whereas some believe are more enthusiastic about their hobbies and leisure interests than their jobs. However, I am in the favour of the latter notion due to some valid reasons which i will discuss in the following paragraphs.

To commence with the former notion, giving their priority towards work is not known as the best method of broadening their horizons for no reason. In other words, work helps people to learn new things about the importance of punctuality, leadership qualities and how to deal with critical situation in effectively. It is an incontrovertible fact that, not only they can become responsible people in their life but also they can improve their communication skills by dealing with their new customers or clients. Apart from this, if people work hard day and night then they can living in comfortable life and supporting his family very well. Owing to this, the above mentioned are the factors in the favour of the first notion.

Notwithstanding this, other arc of the society have opposite stance due to couple of factors. Predominantly, either hobbies enable masses to show their hidden talents and skills in front of others or they can also create many better career opportunities in their future. By this action, neither will they face challenges while achieving their goals nor will they suffer from any kinds of harsh conditions. Consequently, due to these factors some individuals do favour of this notion.

To my mind, if people give their proper attention towards them then they can enhance their confidence and creativity skills which leads improve their living standards. In addition, they can get an opportunity to participate themselves in other aspects of life.

Ti conclude, but for any doubt, it can be asserted that both work and hobbies have an impressive role in everyone’s life. Although it helps them to become successful in their careers yet it’s constructive outcomes also cannot be easily ignored.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the discussion on work focuses on general benefits like 'punctuality' and 'leadership' without deep exploration of why some people might prioritize it above all else. Similarly, the section on hobbies is a bit vague, mentioning 'hidden talents' without concrete examples. While the position is consistent, the arguments lack the depth required for a higher band. The conclusion is also slightly disconnected, as it introduces a new point about 'constructive outcomes' rather than summarizing the main arguments effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Notwithstanding this', and 'Consequently' are used to link sentences and paragraphs. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly misused, such as 'To my mind, if people give their proper attention towards them', where the reference 'them' is ambiguous. Additionally, the final paragraph is somewhat disjointed, as the transition 'Ti conclude' (a typo) and the subsequent summary do not fully synthesize the preceding arguments. Overall, the structure is coherent, but the flow between ideas could be more natural.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but there are instances of unnatural phrasing and word choice errors. Phrases like 'few masses reckon' and 'other arc of the society' are non-standard and awkward. While the student attempts to use more sophisticated vocabulary (e.g., 'incontrovertible', 'notion'), these are sometimes used incorrectly or in contexts that don't quite fit. There is also a reliance on repetitive structures. To improve, the student should focus on collocations and more precise academic vocabulary rather than trying to use complex-sounding words that may not be appropriate for the context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include 'they can living in comfortable life', 'some individuals do favour of this notion', and 'which leads improve their living standards'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. More attention to proofreading for basic tense and article consistency would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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