Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-04

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 given topic brings up the question about the people who works with so devotion that they ignore their other chores and responsibilities. While the ones who are more ambitious and enjoys other facilities around them which attitude is better.

Some people who own business or works at a firm often work with such devotion and focus that they ignore every leisure and entertainment their life offers such persons have lost their spark due extreme work and focus on a specific thing made everything other than their work boring or not worthy of their attention.

The other people are the one who prefer enjoying every moment of their life. They often celebrate little things are well known in gatherings. Such people are often loyal to their hobbies and enjoy being around others, many surveys have shown that such individuals have successful relationships with their partners and are more understanding than the people who consider their work their first priority.

We should focus on both aspects rather than devoting their whole attention on a single module a person should be multitasking we should know how to manage our work with our leisure and hobbies. By focusing on work and devoting your life to it will impose many diverse affects on the humans personality such people have no friends aren't good in relationships either, being good in your practical life also matters a lot in developing a persons image.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both attitudes mentioned in the prompt, but the development of ideas is limited. The essay is under the 250-word minimum, which negatively impacts the depth of the argument. While you provide a personal opinion, it is somewhat vague and lacks specific examples or evidence to support your claims. The discussion of the 'work-focused' versus 'hobby-focused' individuals remains at a surface level, failing to fully explore the implications of these lifestyles. To improve, ensure you expand on your points with concrete examples and ensure the essay meets the minimum length requirement to allow for full development of your ideas.

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 limited and sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt. There is a lack of varied linking words to connect ideas within sentences and paragraphs, which makes the flow feel somewhat disjointed. To improve, use a wider range of cohesive devices such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in contrast' to better signal the relationship between your ideas and improve the overall logical progression of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing, such as 'people who works' and 'enjoying every moment'. There are also some awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'diverse affects' (should be 'diverse effects') and 'single module' (which is not appropriate in this context). To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated vocabulary and collocations that are relevant to the topic of work-life balance, such as 'professional commitment', 'recreational pursuits', or 'psychological well-being'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('people who works', 'ones who... enjoys'), incorrect verb forms ('made everything other than their work boring'), and punctuation errors. The sentence structures are relatively simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often contain errors. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and sentence construction. Practice using a variety of complex sentence structures, such as conditional sentences or relative clauses, while ensuring they are grammatically accurate.

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

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