Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-24

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)

Some individuals believe that work is most crucial thing in their life and shows lighter interest in other things. However, others perception is that they are highly serious about their hobbies and spend their free time according to their interest rather than their jobs. This essay will discuss both perspectives before explaining, I believe both view are accurate in their own way but still I believe work with hobbies are far better than doing work like a machine.

On the one hand, work is an essential part of a human`s life. Therefore, people are significantly spend their whole life doing work for better life. As a result, they can be financially strong and easily access to luxuries. For example, a business person who work hard and did not spend their time to any other activity they would make a great business empire and easily afford expensive things. For these reasons, a large number of people would increase their workload and did not spend enough time to their families, but at the end they can easily provide all necassacities to their loved ones.

On the other hand, extra curricular activities are also pivotal for some individuals. Most of the people did not work like a robot, they want to explore some new things and showing intertest in their hobbies. In recent years, life become more hectic due to heavy workload, so people who use their leisure time specifically and persue their interest are more happy rather than simply followed a busy routine.

In my opinion, although work is more important for life but i believe spend time on other activities make a person more creative and ability to solve their problems.

In conclusion, many people consider their work are more important rather than other thing. However, others, and I think hobbies affects greatly in overall well being.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt by discussing both attitudes and providing your own opinion. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, your explanation of why work-focused individuals succeed is a bit simplistic, and your argument for hobbies could be more deeply explored with specific examples of how they enhance creativity or well-being. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph provides a more thorough analysis rather than just stating the general concept. Your position is clear throughout the essay, which is a positive aspect of your response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to signal shifts in your argument. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final sentence where the connection between the two clauses is slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some relevant topic-specific terms like 'business empire', 'extra curricular activities', and 'hectic'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'shows lighter interest' instead of 'shows less interest' and 'provide all necassacities' (spelling error). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and ensure accurate usage of academic vocabulary. The range is sufficient for the task, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, they often contain grammatical errors, such as 'people are significantly spend their whole life' (incorrect verb form) and 'a business person who work hard' (subject-verb agreement). There are also frequent issues with articles and prepositions, for example, 'access to luxuries' should be 'access to luxury' or 'access to luxuries'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to limit your score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage.

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

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