Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-01

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 gave importance to work as the most significant thing in life and have little interest in anything else. But some people show their passion in hobbies and in leisure activities. According to my perspective, those people who give both to the work and hobbies because work teach how to tackle responsibilities and hobby helps in developing mental peace.

For a well living life a lot of money is required. So those people who want to spend life like a above the average then they will give importance to work. Because they have a lot of responsibilities. For example, they need money to pay their children's school and tuition fee. Also need to bring food and clothes like uniform etc for them. he does not like to give importance to leisure activities. He always prefer his job.

On the other hand, those people who gave importance to hobbies or relaxes in their interest because they know that there is need for mental peace. They also thought that for health we should play any sports game that give response like exercise. That's why they prefer hobbies over job but more time spend in hobbies is very harmful for them. They also need to pay the attention for work.

Those people who do the both things like work and give a time to the hobby, they are very mentally and physically developed. Their ways to think , to control emotions, in their behavior is better than those who stuck in doing one thing either work or hobby. I suggest to do both work and hobby at a fix time.

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 limited. While you mention the importance of money for family responsibilities and the benefits of hobbies for mental health, the arguments remain quite superficial. The explanation of why work-life balance is superior is also brief. To improve, you should expand on your points with more specific examples or deeper analysis. For instance, instead of just mentioning 'school fees,' you could discuss the long-term professional benefits of a balanced lifestyle versus the risk of burnout from overworking. The position is clear, but the supporting evidence lacks the depth required for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. Phrases like 'On the other hand' and 'Those people who' are used frequently, which makes the flow feel a bit rigid. Additionally, some transitions between sentences are abrupt, making the logical progression feel disjointed at times. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that pronouns and referencing (e.g., 'they', 'these individuals') are used more precisely to connect ideas across sentences rather than relying on repeating the same noun phrases.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher levels. You rely on basic terms like 'give importance to' and 'good/better,' which are repetitive. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'well living life' and 'stuck in doing one thing.' While your meaning is clear, the lack of variety and the occasional misuse of words limit your score. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to work-life balance, such as 'professional obligations,' 'recreational pursuits,' 'mental well-being,' and 'achieving equilibrium.'

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 the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'work teach,' 'hobby helps'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'those people who gave importance to hobbies or relaxes'). Tense consistency is also an issue, as you switch between present and past forms unnecessarily. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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