Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-17

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 6.5)

While some people consider careers as the most essential thing in their lives, others value their free time and fun activity more. This essay will explore both perspectives before presenting a personal viewpoint.

On the one hand, proponents of hard work often argue that investing time and effort in working should be a fundamental value, since it does not only promote personal growth but also enhances societal progress, if professionals in different fields such as medicine, journalism and engineering dedicate more time in their jobs, this will consequently lead to national development on these levels. Moreover, these people often lose interest in leisure activities as they grow older due to the drop in their physical capabilities and due to limited free time. Additionally, growing older usually means prioritising financial stability and family status over hobbies.

On the other hand, many people consider their jobs as the no-escape duty, which they are forced to do, and thus, loosing interest in it. Several individuals engage in physical activities such as hourse riding, swimming or even martial arts in order to escape form their mentally stressing reality, that is primarly contibuted by their jobs. Furthermore, harsh working conditions including long-hours shifts and unfriendly environement are a significant reason for preffering extra-job activities.

In my point of view, these kind of prefrences are chielfy shaped by people's personal experiences over the years, and I personally bilieve that striking life-work balance is an optimal approach for a healthy life both in the physical and mental aspects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both attitudes towards work and leisure, and includes a clear personal opinion in the final paragraph. Ideas are relevant and extended, such as the discussion on societal progress through professions like medicine and journalism, as well as the reasons why individuals escape stressful jobs through hobbies. However, there is a minor run-on sentence issue in the first body paragraph ("...progress, if professionals in different fields...") which slightly detracts from full development, aligning the response with a Band 7 level where all parts are addressed and a clear position is maintained throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is clearly organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, two distinct body paragraphs discussing opposing views, and a concluding opinion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover' are used to guide the reader through the arguments. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, and paragraphing could be smoother, as seen in the slightly rushed transition within the second body paragraph. Overall, the logical progression is clear throughout, earning a Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, employing terms such as 'fundamental value', 'financial stability', and 'mentally stressing reality'. However, there are a few spelling and word-choice errors that prevent a higher band, such as 'loosing' instead of 'losing', 'hourse riding' instead of 'horse riding', 'primarly' instead of 'primarily', 'contibuted' instead of 'contributed', and 'chielfy' instead of 'chiefly'. Despite these lexical slips, communication is never impeded, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures and participial phrases. There are, however, several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including a comma splice in the first body paragraph and prepositional inaccuracies like 'dedicate more time in their jobs' instead of 'to their jobs'. Furthermore, phrases like 'these kind of prefrences' display minor agreement issues. While the errors are noticeable, they do not impede overall communication, placing this response firmly in Band 6.

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

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