Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-16

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)

In fast-paced life today, for some people work poses primary importance in their life, while others are more passionate about their hobbies and other interests. I agree with the first opinion and believe although being passionate about hobbies is important, but work is the most important thing in one's life.

I will start by discussing why for some people work is the most important thing in their life. The primary reason for that is an individuals are basically defined by their occupation and how good they are at it. Their lifestyle rely on that one factor, and excelling in career requires dedication and hard work. Another reason could be that some people love what they do. Their passion is their profession, and they have turned their hobbies into their career. Mostly sportsmen fall into this category. They dedicate their whole life to become good at one thing. For instance, Magnus Carlsen who is arguably the best chess player in history said in an interview, the reason he is best at it is because its the only dominant thing on his mind every waking moment are different chess games since childhood.

On the other hand, people who are more passionate about free time activities wants to enjoy their life, and believe that work life balance is very important in a person's life. The reason for could be that we cannot perform to the best of our abilities if do not take the time to do something we enjoy, which is very accurate. Research conducted by students of MIT suggests who take part in extracurricular activities are also likely to be good at their studies.

To coclude, I would say although work life balance is important in a person's life, but if we want to be an outlier and leave an everlasting impact on something work should be our primary importance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both attitudes and state a clear preference for work, including in the introduction and conclusion. The discussion of work is more developed: you explain how occupation can shape identity and lifestyle, and use Magnus Carlsen as an example of commitment to a profession. The leisure side is relevant but less fully explored; the claim that hobbies support performance is followed by a brief reference to MIT research, without explaining the evidence or giving a concrete example. Your conclusion also introduces the idea of making an “everlasting impact,” which is not fully established in the body. To strengthen the response, develop the benefits of leisure more evenly and connect your examples directly to your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two attitudes, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the other hand” help readers follow the contrast, and the ideas generally progress in a sensible order. Some linking is mechanical, however, particularly the repeated “The primary reason” and “Another reason” pattern. A few connections are also unclear: the transition from work shaping lifestyle to people turning hobbies into careers could be made more explicit, and the MIT reference is not clearly tied to the preceding claim. Use a wider range of natural transitions and make the relationship between each example and its point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “work life balance,” “dedication,” “profession,” “extracurricular activities,” and “everlasting impact.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some less common expressions show an attempt to be precise. However, several word choices and collocations are awkward or inaccurate, such as “poses primary importance,” “their lifestyle rely on that one factor,” and “primary importance.” There are also spelling errors in “coclude” and “individuals.” Aim for more natural academic collocations and check spelling carefully; this would make the argument sound more fluent and precise without changing its meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including contrast clauses and explanations, as in “although being passionate about hobbies is important.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur and occasionally make sentences difficult to follow. For example, “an individuals are basically defined” has an article and agreement problem, while “Their lifestyle rely” has subject–verb disagreement. In “if do not take the time,” the subject is missing, and the opening sentence of the conclusion uses “although” and “but” together. Practise checking agreement, complete clauses, and sentence connectors, then proofread longer sentences for punctuation and structure.

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