Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-27

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 6.0)

Work is important because it gives financial security, benefits you by learning new skills. Hobbies on the other hand are equally necessary to maintain your well-being. In my opinion both are equally important and should be calibrated in peoples lifestyle.

Work provides financial freedom and income which allows them to not be dependent on anyone and be financially stable. This would allow them to experience and learn new skills and would give them career satisfaction which would motivate them to work harder. As people work harder their salaries are increased, which would encourage them to increase their commitment with their work ethic with would secure them financially and by learning different skills they can get a successful career alongside promotions and more opportunities.

Hobbies however, reduce stress and burnout since people are more fond of their interests and do them happily. It helps people maintain their mental well-being and stay active after the burnout from the workload they were put under. For example, a lot of people have different hobbies such as, swimming, reading, golf or socialising. This helps them maintain their social life and their relationships with their friends and family.

Work is important as it keeps us financially stable, however making work the most important part of your life shouldn't be the case as work-life balance is vital. If you prioritise work more, it can affect your relationships and homelife. Therefore, hobbies keep you active and reduce stress, and should be a daily part of your routine.

In conclusion, work-life balance is important as one should not be considered more significant than the other. Hobbies should also be considered a part of your life, they better not take over your responsibilities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both attitudes toward work and hobbies and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, though the development is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the second paragraph focuses heavily on financial stability and career growth, but the arguments could be more nuanced. The conclusion effectively summarizes the stance on work-life balance. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more specific, real-world examples or deeper analysis of why people might hold these extreme views, rather than just listing the benefits of each. Overall, the position is consistent and the task is fulfilled.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. However, the use of cohesive devices is occasionally mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transition 'Work is important as...' is used at the start of the fourth paragraph, which feels slightly redundant. While paragraphing is used appropriately, the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'conversely') to create a more natural progression of ideas. The referencing is generally clear, but some transitions feel a bit forced.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'calibrated' and 'burnout', which are used correctly. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler terms like 'important' and 'good'. Some phrasing is slightly unnatural, such as 'increase their commitment with their work ethic with would secure them'. Improving the precision of word choice and using more sophisticated collocations would help elevate the score. The spelling is accurate throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. For example, 'benefits you by learning new skills' is a dangling modifier, and 'with would secure them' contains a clear error in word choice/syntax. Additionally, there are some punctuation issues, such as the comma splice in 'Hobbies should also be considered a part of your life, they better not take over your responsibilities.' Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement would 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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