Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-06

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)

Many people consider that the most important thing in the life is work. They believe that life is all about work and how much they can contribute to their work, so, they should have very little interest in anything else, which I don't believe in. However, there are also many humans those who are take more interest in their hobbies and leisure inerest then the work or jobs they do.

On the one hand, the individuals who believe that in the life a human should contribute the maximum at their jobs because it's the most crutial and important thing to do. Which can be true at some extent but not having time and interest in anyting else could make people tired of thier life. Moreover, just focus on their work and doing nothing take joy from thier life and it could lead people towards depression. For instance, in a recent year found that humans who were diagnosed with the depression were majority the ones who used to take their work very seriously.

On the other hand, the people who are more curious and take more interest in their hobbies and leisure than their jobs has been seen more happy in thier lives. Furthermore, taking interest in their hobbies and leisure make them more successful in their life because the love to do. For example, if in any industry an individual who enjoy what he or she is doing then the work in not work anymore it more like a game that you enjoy to play.

Overall, focusing on thie work and take it seriously is not a bad thing but thinking it is the most important thing is not a good mindset. I believe that people should also focus on thing they love to do, which will make them more happy and productive in their lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both perspectives regarding work and leisure, while providing a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. However, some ideas are developed more fully than others. For example, the arguments regarding the negative mental health impacts of overworking are somewhat general and repetitive, noting that a lack of balance leads to depression without exploring deeper socio-economic or psychological factors. Similarly, the second body paragraph introduces the idea that hobbies can bring career success, but this point remains slightly under-developed and would benefit from a more concrete or detailed extension. Overall, the task is adequately addressed, with a recognizable position maintained throughout, though deeper elaboration of the main ideas is needed to reach a higher level of development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear, logical progression of ideas across paragraphs. The response begins with a clear introduction outlining both views and the writer's stance, moves through distinct body paragraphs covering each perspective, and concludes with a summary of the writer's opinion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' 'Moreover,' and 'For example' are employed to guide the reader through the text. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or slightly faulty, and referencing is not always clear. For instance, phrases like 'Which can be true at some extent' create disjointed transitions, and referencing pronouns occasionally feel repetitive or ambiguous, such as using 'they' or 'it' without entirely clear antecedents. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the different viewpoints, but smoother logical transitions would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, providing a minimally sufficient range to discuss the topic of work-life balance. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'contribute,' 'perspective' (implied), and 'depression,' but these attempts are frequently accompanied by inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form. Examples of lexical errors include 'leisure inerest' instead of 'leisure interests', 'crutial' instead of 'crucial', and awkward phrases like 'humans those who are take more interest' and 'taking interest in their hobbies and leisure make them more successful'. Spelling errors are also present, such as 'thier' and 'inerest'. While these vocabulary and spelling errors do not completely impede communication, they are noticeable and demonstrate limitations in lexical precision and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied structures such as relative clauses ('the individuals who believe that...') and conditional sentences ('if in any industry an individual...'). However, the attempts at complex sentences are often faulty, and there are frequent grammatical errors involving subject-verb agreement, articles, and prepositions within grammatical patterns. Examples of structural and grammatical inaccuracies include 'the most important thing in the life is work', 'at some extent' instead of 'to some extent', 'just focus on their work and doing nothing take joy', and 'the work in not work anymore it more like a game'. Punctuation is also occasionally unreliable, with run-on sentences and comma splices. These errors persist throughout the text and cause some difficulty for the reader, though the core meaning remains understandable.

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