Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-22

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)

I think people should have a balance between work and hobbies cause only work can make people exhustate but having only hobbies without any jobs can make them feel financial pressure. like some people that regard work as the most important thing in life can often lead a life without friends and don't have a social life which can lead mental pressure and not being able to lead a life in happiness. If someone doesn't know anything other than work can don't have hobbies are less happier than people with hobbies. They don't know what to do with their life and they often find it meaningless.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 106 words. Consequently, the task is addressed only minimally. While you attempt to discuss both attitudes—work-centric and hobby-centric—the ideas are severely underdeveloped. There is no clear structure, such as an introduction, body paragraphs, or a conclusion, and your personal opinion is not clearly articulated or supported with relevant evidence or examples. To improve, you must expand your arguments by providing specific reasons and examples for each perspective, ensuring you meet the length requirement to allow for a full development of your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text lacks paragraphing, which is essential for organizing ideas in an IELTS essay. The flow of ideas is disjointed, and there is a lack of cohesive devices to link sentences and arguments logically. For example, the transition between discussing work-centric people and the benefits of hobbies is abrupt. To improve, you should use clear paragraph breaks to separate your introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Additionally, incorporate linking words and phrases such as 'furthermore,' 'on the other hand,' 'consequently,' and 'in contrast' to guide the reader through your argument more effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive, which limits your ability to express complex ideas. You use 'life' and 'people' frequently, and there are errors in word choice, such as 'exhustate' (exhausted) and 'less happier' (less happy). The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, focus on learning collocations and synonyms related to work-life balance, such as 'professional commitments,' 'recreational pursuits,' and 'financial stability.' Expanding your vocabulary will help you convey your points with greater precision and sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writing contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Examples include 'cause only work can make people exhustate' (because only work can be exhausting) and 'can don't have hobbies' (do not have hobbies). The sentence structures are mostly simple or contain errors when attempting complex constructions. There is a lack of variety in sentence types, and punctuation is inconsistent. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of modal verbs. Practice constructing complex sentences using subordinating conjunctions like 'although,' 'while,' and 'because' to improve your grammatical range.

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

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