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)

I personally believe work should be considered the most important thing in life because unemployment does not bring money and to earn for having a better life, job is a must. On the other hand, it is argued that devoting to work completely will make life harder so one should have the zeal towards other interests and hobbies. But those activities are for mental peace but don't bring food and money to the table.

First of all, the poor might seem happy as they get to do whatever they want apart from working. But the reality is that they suffer from hunger and shelter. To survive in this dynamic world, employment is very important. Even if someone has no time to do anything else other than office work, at least they have the mental peace and sense of security that they will not be short of food and shelter. For example, a person in my neighbourhood was more focused on art but it was more of a hobby than a profession, so he could not earn his livelihood with that and as a result, his financial state was deteriorating every day and now he is in huge debt. On the other hand, my cousin who has no interest in data science started to study about it to be able to survive in this world of artificial intelligence and now totally immersed in his career which caused him to become one of the most successful and renowned data scientist. Therefore, as the end result of everything is to have a comfortable and secure life, so I believe worklife should be given highest priority.

Lastly, people who invest more time in other interests like hobbies, might be mentally satisfied but in reality they struggle in the long run. For instance, there are people who love to watch Korean drama and it is their leisure time activity. If their energy and enthusiasm towards watching those are more than their work, they will find themselves spending maximum amount of their time in those and even during office they will be constantly think about them. This will cause their efficiency and productivity to decrease. As a result, there should be a boundary between personal interest and work life. The professional life should be considered the reason for them to be able to enjoy those hobbies and interests which come as luxuries from working.

In short, I strongly believe work is such a part of our lives which cannot be treated lightly rather it should be given highest importance and more enthusiasm and energy should be given during working hours so that the output shows highest productivity as it is the main reason of living a comfortable life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a clear preference for prioritising work, and you support it with examples about your neighbour and cousin. You also acknowledge the opposing view that hobbies can provide mental satisfaction, so the response engages with both attitudes. However, the discussion is not fully balanced: the case for valuing leisure is mostly presented as a risk to productivity, rather than explaining why people may reasonably place hobbies above work. Some claims, such as that people focused on hobbies will struggle financially or think about them at work, are broad and need qualification or evidence. Develop the benefits of leisure and explain more carefully how work and personal interests can coexist to make your position more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Examples generally follow the points they are intended to support, and signposts such as “First of all,” “For instance” and “In short” help readers follow the discussion. However, progression is sometimes repetitive: the importance of financial security and work is restated several times, while the second body paragraph largely repeats the argument that hobbies can interfere with work. Some links are mechanical or unclear, as in “Therefore, as the end result of everything is to have a comfortable and secure life, so…”. Improve cohesion by making each paragraph develop a distinct point and by using clearer references and transitions between claims.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “financial state,” “livelihood,” “efficiency,” “productivity” and “sense of security.” These choices help communicate your main ideas, and there are attempts at more formal phrasing. However, several collocations and word forms are noticeably unnatural or imprecise, such as “devoting to work completely,” “suffer from hunger and shelter,” “worklife,” and “renowned data scientist.” Repetition of “work,” “life,” “hobbies” and “interests” also limits flexibility. Aim for more natural combinations and precise wording, particularly when describing the opposing view; this will make the argument sound more fluent and less dependent on repeated general terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Even if,” “so” and “which,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, complex structures are not consistently controlled. For example, “If their energy and enthusiasm … are more than their work, they will find themselves spending…” has an unclear comparison and an awkwardly constructed conditional, while “they will be constantly think” has an incorrect verb form. There are also errors in articles and sentence construction, such as “job is a must” and “Therefore … so I believe,” which combines linking structures unnecessarily. Review verb patterns, agreement, articles and sentence boundaries, and simplify sentences when a longer structure becomes difficult to control.

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