Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-06
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)
We are living in a world where everybody has different choices and preferences as some people prefer work over other things whereas some people prefer to balance out work and their hobbies. Both have their own pros and cons.
In my opinion, if somebody is workaholic and doing the work with full dedication and sincerity might be giving them some level of satisfaction or happiness which they might not be getting to do other activities. But at the same time their body is never at rest and as per research human brain can concentrate at a stretch to maximum 30 minutes which means that their body must be relaxed after the work, but mentally those people must be tired.
Furthermore, in my view people are passionate about their hobbies and leisure interests must be getting more happiness by following their hobbies and leisure activity but at the same time if they are not sincere about the work, this might have serious consequences. Indifference towards work can even lead to losing their job.
One has to maintain a balance between work and hobbies in order to have successful life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| 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 188 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While the essay addresses both attitudes and provides an opinion, the arguments are underdeveloped. For example, the point about the 'human brain' and '30 minutes' concentration is not clearly linked to the prompt's focus on work-life balance. The discussion remains superficial, and the lack of length prevents a full exploration of the topic, which is a requirement for higher bands.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into short paragraphs, which helps with readability. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. While some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore' and 'But at the same time' are used, the transitions between the two viewpoints and the personal opinion are abrupt. The overall structure is simplistic, and the lack of depth in the body paragraphs makes the logical flow feel disjointed. More sophisticated linking words and better paragraph development are needed to improve the coherence of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. The student uses basic terms like 'different choices', 'pros and cons', and 'successful life'. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic language. Some phrasing is slightly unnatural, such as 'if somebody is workaholic and doing the work', which is grammatically awkward. To improve, the student should incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to professional life and personal well-being.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For instance, 'if somebody is workaholic... might be giving them' is a fragmented structure. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'doing the work with full dedication' and 'to do other activities'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors and the limited variety of complex structures prevent a higher score. More attention to sentence construction and proofreading is necessary.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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