Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-28

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)

The conflict between the work life and the personal lifein order to maintain a balance between them is awlays been a hot topic to discuss among indiviaduals with different preferences. An individual may prefer sitting quiet and spending a less sociable life and prefer work to keep themselves busy, similarly the other individual who is more enthusiastic about his/her hobbies like to do something about in their leisure time.

I prefer a work-life balance lifestyle, if a person is completely into his/herhobbies and always in seek to enjoy leisure time may be a less mentally motivated person than that who is actually working on his skills and learning sme new stuff. Indulging onself into work strictly results in burn-outs, that might exhaust a person emotionally as well as mentally.

For instance, scientists and researchers or successful business men like Elon Musk, there are podcasts reporting that these type of individuals were extremely work-oriented rather than into hobbies and leisure interests. I believe that humans vary on a great scale of intelligence quotient.

If I would talk about my experience, I am a high achiever since childhood, so sitting idle makes me insane sometimes because I feel like I have nothing purposeful to achieve. I have hobbies like travelling and watching movies but I could only be enthusiastic about my hobbies if I am satisfied with my job or tasks I was required to perform. Appreciation from work matters more to me rather than being into my hobbies.

In the end, I believe its all about personalities that shapes your interests and you identify work or hobbies are most important thing in life, but if that comes to families, an individual must not skip the chance to make precious memories with them and putting work second on importance list.

AI examiner evaluation

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 uneven. While you mention Elon Musk as an example, the connection between his work habits and your broader argument about intelligence quotient is not fully articulated, making the logic feel slightly disjointed. The conclusion introduces a new point about family, which is relevant but feels a bit rushed. To improve, ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea that directly supports your thesis, and avoid introducing new concepts in the final sentence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition 'If I would talk about my experience' is a bit informal and abrupt. While you use some cohesive devices, they are sometimes used incorrectly or in a way that disrupts the natural flow of the argument. The referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression could be improved by using more sophisticated linking words to connect your personal experience to the general discussion of work-life balance.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, but there are several instances of awkward phrasing and minor errors. Phrases like 'sitting quiet' and 'learning sme new stuff' are too informal for an academic essay. Additionally, there are some spelling errors, such as 'awlays' and 'indiviaduals'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure that your word choices are consistently formal. Avoid colloquialisms like 'stuff' and 'insane' in favor of more academic alternatives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's flow. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'personalities that shapes'), missing articles, and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'the other individual who is more enthusiastic... like to do something'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring your complex sentences are grammatically sound.

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