Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-21

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 5.0)

Everyone has their own opinion. Some people consider their work or job everything but some people are more enthusiastic about their hobbies and leisure interests than their jobs. The one who are only attentive towards their job and not pay attention to their personal hobbies and interests are often seen dull and bored but if we see the ones who are more energetic towards their hobbies and interests are always in a better mood and good health. As we can observe the depression rate is increasing and the defected ones are those who are just focusing on their job and doing nothing for their personal growth and interests. When we do not have enough time for ourselves in a long period of time we are going to have these threats like depression, stress and tension. On the other hand, if we are focusing and proritizing ourselves then the risk of getting tension, stress and all these threats will be decreased. So, in my opinion we should prioritize ourselves and then our work. We should focus on the things that make us happy. In that way we can live a healthier and peaceful life and can work without any pressure and calm mind.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You give a clear opinion that people should prioritise personal interests before work, and you explain that leisure can support happiness and health. However, the discussion is unbalanced: the view that work is the most important thing is mentioned but not explored, and the benefits or reasons behind strong work commitment are not explained. Several claims, such as linking depression mainly to people who focus on work, are broad and need relevant support or an example. The response is also 189 words, 61 words below the 250-word minimum; 13 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. To develop the response, explain both attitudes in separate, supported points before giving a fuller conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable sequence: it introduces the two attitudes, gives reasons for valuing leisure, and ends with your opinion. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “So, in my opinion” help signal the direction of the argument. However, the ideas are presented in one paragraph, so the discussion lacks clear stages and the contrast between the two attitudes is not fully developed. Several points about depression, stress, tension, and health repeat similar claims rather than advancing the argument. Use separate paragraphs for the work-focused view, the leisure-focused view, and your position, and connect each claim to a specific explanation or example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main topic, including “enthusiastic,” “personal growth,” “depression,” and “prioritize.” There is some attempt to express cause and effect through phrases such as “the risk of getting tension, stress…will be decreased.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. For example, “the defected ones” is not an appropriate way to describe people experiencing depression, and “attentive towards their job” is an awkward collocation. Spelling errors such as “proritizing” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural phrases and avoid repeating “threats,” “stress,” and “interests.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including conditional structures such as “if we are focusing and proritizing ourselves then the risk…will be decreased.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors occur frequently in sentence construction and agreement. For example, “The one who are” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “the ones who…are always in a better mood and good health” has an awkwardly formed comparison. The opening sentence also joins contrasting ideas with “but” without clear punctuation. Work on matching singular and plural subjects with verbs, and practise building accurate complex sentences with clear clauses. Shorter, carefully checked sentences would improve control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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