Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-27
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 have a kind of mentality that working on the most important things in life and having a little fascination about other interested things is crucial. On the other hand, some people have a kind of enthusiasm regard to their hobbies furthermore have leisure interest towards their jobs. Before giving my opinion, this essay will discuss both the perspectives and also from my point of view, I would say people must focus on their hobbies as compared their jobs.
One major reason for that is following their passion their hobbies can lead them to work more and more in that topic. It can generate a various of energy in that person which never makes them feel boring or annoying. Additionally, it can help them too to understand deeply about their passion, how they can pursue their career in this field more like that. I still remember I had a good friend named Yash who were totally fascinated towards his passion of being connected with nature and followed his passion. As of nowadays he is an officer at forest department at Gujarat.
On the other hand, many people consider their jobs as their primary responsibility. I think it is important too nevertheless getting completely lost in their work is not a good choice along with that I would prefer to follow both sides following their jobs and their hobbies as well is a crucial type of balancing both the side.
In conclusion, I would say giving valuable time and complete focus to our hobbies and passion is a good choice but getting completely lost in their jobs is not obligatory. Following our hobbies and passion can lead to numerous positive effects on our career and life as well.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt regarding work-centric and hobby-centric attitudes, and clearly states the writer's opinion that people should focus more on hobbies. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the argument that hobbies generate energy and prevent boredom is introduced but not fully extended with sophisticated reasoning or strong supporting evidence beyond a brief personal anecdote about a friend named Yash. While a clear position is maintained throughout the essay, the generalizations made regarding career choices and life balance could be deeper. Consequently, the performance aligns best with Band 6 descriptors, as all parts of the task are addressed, but some areas remain under-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a generally coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used to separate the different viewpoints and the writer's stance. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by mechanical or repetitive cohesive devices. Phrases like 'On the other hand' are overused, and transitional links between sentences can be clunky, such as 'Furthermore have leisure interest towards their jobs' and 'more like that.' Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the third paragraph where pronouns and clauses become tangled. Overall, the organizational structure meets the criteria for Band 5.5, which is rounded to a stable Band 6 due to the clear attempt at logical grouping.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate basic concepts about work and hobbies. However, lexical range and precision are limited. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations throughout the text, such as 'a kind of mentality that working on the most important things', 'a little fascination about other interested things', and 'generate a various of energy.' The phrase 'totally fascinated towards' incorrectly pairs the preposition. While the writer attempts less common vocabulary such as 'obligatory' and 'pursue their career', inaccuracies in word choice restrict the score. These errors do not completely impede communication, placing the response firmly at Band 5.5, rounded to 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in grammatical structures. However, frequent grammatical and punctuation errors occur throughout the essay, such as missing prepositions, incorrect verb forms ('who were totally fascinated'), and run-on sentences ('Before giving my opinion, this essay will discuss both the perspectives and also from my point of view, I would say...'). Additionally, phrases like 'as compared their jobs' and 'balancing both the side' show a lack of control over grammatical agreements and structural integrity. Although these errors rarely impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching Band 6, making Band 5.0 a more accurate reflection of grammatical control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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