Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-30
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 people believe that building career and profession is the most crucial things in life rather than anything else, while others believe that hobbies and enjoyable activities has had a significant impact in life than their career. However, focusing on career can offer better lifestyle and make a considerable contribution in economic growth which I agree with this stance. Moreover, following on your passion makes your life elated.
Building and developing career provides profound impact on individual life's, and improving economic. Career development is one of the things that youth can improve their life's style, and bring out of poverty which impact the overall society and makes the economic growth. For example, a student whose works hard on his career. and learn different professional skills will help them to secure employment. As a result, economy will grow because each individuals work on themselves to shape their career. For this reason, I believe everyone should focus on their career and change society.
Hobbies is one of the things that makes you feel elated throughout the day because following hobbies reduces the mental stress in exhausted routine. For instance, an employee who works 9 to 5 job, and after working all day may he feel drain which cause increase the mental
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 209 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you address both sides of the argument and state a clear position, the discussion is underdeveloped. The second paragraph focuses heavily on career benefits but lacks specific, well-supported examples, and the third paragraph is incomplete, ending abruptly mid-sentence. To improve, you must ensure each body paragraph provides a fully realized argument with concrete evidence and reaches the required length to demonstrate a thorough exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is hindered by the incomplete nature of the final paragraph. While some cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover' and 'For instance', the flow is often mechanical. The abrupt ending makes it difficult to assess the overall coherence of the argument. To improve, ensure that each paragraph is fully developed and that you use a wider range of linking words to connect your ideas more fluidly, ensuring that your conclusion effectively summarizes your main points.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You use basic terms like 'things' and 'good' repeatedly. There are also errors in word form and collocation, such as 'building career' (should be 'building a career') and 'individual life's' (should be 'individuals' lives'). To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition. Expanding your range of vocabulary will help you express your ideas with greater clarity and sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('hobbies and enjoyable activities has had', 'Hobbies is one of the things') and incorrect punctuation, such as the unnecessary period in 'career. and learn'. There are also issues with pluralization and article usage. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your sentence punctuation is accurate. Practicing complex sentence structures will also help improve your overall control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.