Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-24

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)

It is undeniable that both interests and hobbies are important along with work and job. In this regard, many people believe that work is the more important than hobbies and lnterests while other thinks opposite. This essay will outline not only both views but also my opinion which is in the favour of latter point of view with the logical conclusion in forthcoming fragments.

To commence with, job is important but inner peace which came from hobbies and interests should be priority. According to recent researches, stress level is increased among people because of heavy workloads and imbalance situation of work and personal life. Most of therapists suggest to follow their interests and indulging in new hobbies to came out of stress. However, sticking to only job and work and make it boring and the progress in job may decrease. Little time for hobbies, interests and new activities can create a huge differance to romanticize life.

Nevertheless, finacial security cannot be ignored. People believe that money should be priority as it gives you not finacial security but helps you in living the life with royality. For most of basic needs such as food, clothes, shelter and education, money is essential. Everyone need to work hard in their workplaces to earn money. For example, one of my friend move abroad for a job and work over-time just to earn money. she sacrifised her family, freinds and even hobbies.

In conclusion, although work is the most important thing but spending little time on interests and hobbies can lower the high amount of work pressure and stress. According to me, hobbies makes you feel alive but without money you can not live.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both attitudes and give a clear preference for the view that hobbies and leisure matter, especially in the opening and conclusion. The discussion of work is relevant: financial security and basic needs explain why people may prioritise their jobs, and the example of your friend illustrates personal sacrifice. However, the position is not fully consistent: the conclusion says work is “the most important thing,” while also arguing that hobbies make life feel meaningful. The first viewpoint is also developed mainly through money and necessities, with little exploration of why someone might value work beyond income. To strengthen the response, state your balanced position precisely and extend each side with a clearer explanation and a specific supporting example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two attitudes, and a conclusion. This gives the reader a coherent overall route through the discussion. Linking expressions such as “To commence with,” “Nevertheless,” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages, although some sound formulaic and the relationship between ideas is not always smooth. For example, the first body paragraph moves from inner peace to research about stress, then to job progress and “romanticize life” without clearly connecting each point. The conclusion also introduces a mixed position that is not resolved. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each explanation directly to the paragraph’s main claim; make references such as “the latter point of view” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for the topic, including “financial security,” “heavy workloads,” “work and personal life,” and “sacrifice.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and some phrases show an attempt to express more nuanced points. However, inaccurate spelling and word choice are noticeable, including “lnterests,” “finacial,” “royality,” and “differance.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “romanticize life” and “living the life with royality,” which can make the intended meaning less clear. Aim for precise, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe hobbies as helping people “enjoy a more fulfilling life,” rather than using an unclear or overly literal phrase.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “although work is the most important thing but…” and the explanation beginning “For most of basic needs…”. The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction recur. Examples include “other thinks opposite,” “Everyone need to work,” and “one of my friend move abroad”; these should use plural agreement or the appropriate singular forms. The opening sentence also contains an awkward comparative structure, and the final sentence combines “although” and “but” unnecessarily. Work on producing accurate basic clauses first, then build longer sentences with one clear conjunction and check subject–verb agreement and articles.

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