Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-30

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)

People have different views about whether work as essential part of their life or extra activities like enjoying hobbies and fun activities are more neccesary than thier occupation. While both prespectives have some merit, I believe that people should balance both things in thier lifestyle.

On the one hand, supporters of work passionate people argue that every things are associated with work including their survival. This is because occupation can pay money for them to live and fullfill their needs and enjoyment. For example, many middle class group of human engaged themselve as busy in doing full time job even with extra hours for their family needs. As a result, basic requirements such as food, shelther and education were fullfilled by doing work continously.

On the other hand, those who are more excited by utilizing their time and energy in doing the activities they adore can benefits them mentally with satifaction. This is mainly practiced by rich people who don't have to worry for their survival. For instance, many actor try various fun activities to grow their brain whenever they have leisure time, they spend quality time with nature and try their hobbies like writing, painting and so on. Therefore, its all about necessity and money. I believe people who can afford basic needs are capable trying different hobbies. Consequently, making their work life balance. But those who are in need of money for survival, they makes their work as important thing in their life.

In conclusion, although both views has their own side of benefits according to a person's neccesity. However i believe hobbies and extra activities can make mentally free but work should be also more prioritize in our life for survival. As a result, we can balance our work life easily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both attitudes towards work and hobbies, and presents a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant and supported, such as mentioning basic survival needs for working individuals and mental satisfaction for those pursuing hobbies. However, some arguments remain slightly under-developed and rely on generalisations, such as the dichotomy drawn between middle-class workers and rich actors. Overall, the positioning and main arguments meet the requirements for Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two distinct viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are employed to guide the reader through the text, although referencing and linking in places are somewhat mechanical (e.g., 'Consequently, making their work life balance'). Despite some minor awkwardness in transitions, the logical progression is generally maintained, aligning well with a Band 6.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items like 'prespectives', 'satisfaction', and 'survival'. However, there are numerous spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'neccesary', 'thier', 'fullfill', 'shelther', 'continous', and 'prioritize'. While these lexical errors are noticeable and detract from the precision of the writing, they do not severely impede overall communication. This level of lexical control corresponds to a Band 5.5 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and relative clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'both views has', 'they makes'), article usage, and prepositions (e.g., 'engaged themselve as busy', 'capable trying'). Furthermore, punctuation and phrasing errors appear regularly, such as 'its all about necessity' and run-on sentences in the conclusion. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar performance firmly at a Band 5.0.

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