Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-08

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 6.0)

Nowadays, some people think that work is the most important thing in life, but other people are more interested in their hobbies. In this essay, I will discuss both views and give my opinion.

On the one hand, there are many reasons why people think work is most important. Firstly, work give people money, and money is necessary for living, for example to pay for house, food and bills. Also, a good job can make people feel successful and respected by other people. For example, a doctor works very hard because he want to help patients and he has high position in society.

On the other hand, some people prefer to spend time on their hobbies than their jobs. Many jobs are boring and stressful, so people want to enjoy their free time. For instance, some people like playing sport or travelling at the weekend, and these activities makes them feel happy and relax. Moreover, hobbies can help people to make new friends and to be healthy.

In my opinion, I think both work and hobbies are important, but people should not only focus on work. If someone works too much, he will have no time for family and he may become tired and unhappy. However, we also need a job because without money we can not do our hobbies. So, a balance between them is the best way.

In conclusion, some people think work is the most important, while others love their hobbies more. I believe that people should have both in their lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both attitudes and give a clear personal view: work provides income and a sense of achievement, while hobbies offer enjoyment, friendship and health benefits. Your examples, such as the doctor and people playing sport or travelling, are relevant. This fits the task well, but some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, the doctor’s high social position is mentioned without showing why this makes work central to life, and the benefits of hobbies are listed briefly. Your opinion that balance is best is clear, but could be developed with a more specific explanation or example of how people can achieve it. Extending these ideas would make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay is organised clearly, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two attitudes, a paragraph giving your opinion, and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers understand the structure. You also use linking words such as “Firstly,” “Also,” and “Moreover” to connect supporting points. The organisation is effective, though the linking can feel somewhat formulaic, and the conclusion mainly repeats the introduction rather than drawing the discussion together. To strengthen cohesion further, use a wider variety of natural transitions and connect examples more explicitly to the claims they support.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, with relevant terms such as “successful,” “respected,” “stressful,” and “balance.” The wording is generally understandable, but the range is limited and several common phrases are repeated, including “important,” “people,” and “hobbies.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural: “more interested in their hobbies” does not fully capture being more enthusiastic about leisure, and “feel happy and relax” uses an unsuitable form. Aim for more precise collocations and a broader range of expressions for work, leisure and wellbeing. This would make the discussion more fluent and specific without requiring overly advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and some more complex forms, including “If someone works too much, he will have no time for family” and the contrast introduced by “However.” Most meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “work give people money” needs subject–verb agreement, “he want to help” needs the same correction, and “these activities makes” has an agreement error. Articles are also missing in “pay for house” and “he has high position.” There is some control of conditional and subordinate structures, but greater accuracy in agreement and articles, alongside more varied sentence patterns, would improve the overall grammatical range and reliability.

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