Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

People have varied views on importance of work. While some think that it is the most important thing in one's life, others argue that hobbies and leisure are far more valuable than their occupations. In my opinion, I strongly believe that hobbies and leisure are important. However, jobs should not be overlooked.

There are a myriad of reasons why people are enthusiastic about their hobbies and part time activities. Key among the is the feeling of self fulfilment they provide. When an individual engages in an activity they love doing, they get some level of achievement and this would motivate them to become better at that activity. To illustrate, an athlete who loves running long distances would have intrinsic motivation to keep running as they aim at winning marathons and this would yield greater results and better performance at the sport. As a result, they would get many medals and create a name for themselves. Additionally, one's creativity and imagination grows when you engaged in your hobby or leisure. As a result, individuals may create enterprises out of what they love doing and would get double satisfaction that is earn an income and having fun while at it. For example a baker whom that is their hobby bakes for the therapy and gets to earn money from their craft.

On contrast, work is important. In today's world, talents and hobbies alone may not be sufficient for a complete life. People need to work to earn an income and practice their professional expertise. Jobs allow us opportunities to have social networks with different people not just those whom we share a hobby with. Because of work, we are able to meet new people and develop lasting relationships. Work also helps us gain some skills that we may not acquire if we only took part in leisure activities such as time management due to strict timelines given when workers are expected to meet deadlines.

In conclusion, I would argue that hobbies and leisure hold an important place as they give more benefits to individuals who may turn them to income generating activities while enjoying and getting fulfilment. Although work should also be taken seriously as some hobbies may not lead to acquisition of some skills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both attitudes and state a clear, balanced position: hobbies and leisure matter, but work should not be overlooked. The discussion of fulfilment, motivation and possible income from hobbies is relevant, and the running and baking examples help illustrate these points. You also explain work’s role in income, social connections and skill development. This covers the task well, while the range of development is uneven: the benefits of hobbies receive more explanation, whereas the work-focused points are listed more briefly, and the link between work and a “complete life” could be clarified. To strengthen the response further, explain how the two priorities can coexist and develop one work-related example with the same detail as the hobby examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction to the case for hobbies, then work, and finally your conclusion. Paragraphing supports this progression, and signposts such as “Additionally,” “On contrast,” and “In conclusion” make the stages easy to follow. Within paragraphs, ideas generally develop in a sensible order, particularly the sequence from enjoying an activity to improving and gaining recognition. Some linking is less natural or slightly repetitive: “As a result” appears twice in the hobby paragraph, and “Because of work” repeats the preceding point about meeting people. Use a wider range of transitions and make the relationship between each supporting point explicit. Overall, organisation is clear, though cohesion is not consistently flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range for the topic, including phrases such as “self fulfilment,” “intrinsic motivation,” “professional expertise,” and “lasting relationships.” These choices help express ideas about personal satisfaction and the benefits of employment. There are also attempts at less common or topic-specific language, but some wording is inaccurate or awkward, such as “a myriad of reasons,” “part time activities,” and “create a name for themselves.” A few phrases are imprecise, including “double satisfaction” and “complete life.” Aim for more natural collocations and precise word forms; for example, “part-time activities” may be better expressed as “leisure pursuits,” while “create a name” could be “build a reputation.” These refinements would make the vocabulary more flexible and idiomatic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional and relative structures, as in “When an individual engages in an activity they love doing…” and “Jobs allow us opportunities to have social networks…” Meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. Examples include “Key among the is” (missing “them”), “when you engaged” (incorrect verb form), and “a baker whom that is their hobby” (faulty clause structure). There are also agreement and sentence-construction problems in “one’s creativity and imagination grows” and “that is earn an income and having fun.” Review subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and how clauses are joined. More consistent accuracy in these areas, alongside your existing sentence variety, would strengthen control.

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