Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-27

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)

Nowadays, work is often considered the most essential element in life by some individual while other are more passionate about their leisure activities than their professions. Although I acknowledge that work plays a crucial role in the duration of life, I believe that hobbies are more fulfilling, as they contribute to human well-being and can last after retirement.

On the one hand, work might play a vital role in sustaining a person's life. the workplaces provide sustainable amount depending on their occupation, this not only for individual but for the whole family. People who consider work to be important do not spend enough time on their hobbies. Often, many people place so much importance on work that they neglect their mental and physical health, ultimately causing it to deteriorate.

On the other hand, leisure pursuits may equip one with better outcomes. Firstly, they contribute physical and mental well-being. Some people choose their hobbies like writing, drawing etc to like their work and they do not stress their mental and physical health. Also, physical leisure activitie, including gym workouts and dancing can help individuals become stronger by keeping them active and building muscle mass. Unlike the jobs where people retire officially at the age of around 63, hobbies can be done even in older ages. As an example, grandmothers are often seen in the process of sewing, which they used to do and still do. Therefore, in my opinion, hobbies are better because they make people truly happy and individualistic without the need to be perfect in their jobs.

In conclusion, while I recognise that work can be exceptionally important in life, I firmly believe that leisure activities are more satisfying, since they contribute to human well-being and can be maintained after retirement.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both attitudes and state a consistent preference for hobbies, supported by points about well-being and continuing leisure activities after retirement. The contrast between work providing for a family and hobbies offering personal fulfilment is relevant. However, the discussion of the work-focused attitude is brief: the claim that work sustains life is not developed with an example or explanation of why people may value career achievement. Some support is also unclear, particularly “Some people choose their hobbies like writing, drawing etc to like their work,” which does not clearly explain the relationship between hobbies and work. Develop each side more evenly and make examples directly illustrate your reasons for a more complete response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two attitudes, and a conclusion that restates your view. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the structure. Within paragraphs, however, progression is sometimes uneven. The work paragraph moves from financial support to neglect of health without explaining the connection, while the hobbies paragraph shifts quickly from well-being to retirement and sewing. Some links are mechanical, especially repeated “Firstly,” “Also,” and “Therefore.” Use clearer topic sentences and add transitions that show how each example supports the paragraph’s main point; clarify references such as “they” in the sentence about hobbies and work.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “crucial role,” “mental and physical health,” “retirement,” and “fulfilling,” and these choices communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “leisure pursuits” and “sustaining a person’s life.” However, several word choices or combinations are inaccurate or awkward, including “sustainable amount,” “better outcomes,” and “individualistic” where the intended meaning is not clear. “Leisure activitie” also contains a spelling error, and “like writing, drawing etc” is informal and imprecise. Aim for natural collocations and precise wording, and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the concession in “Although I acknowledge…” and the relative clause in “hobbies can be done even in older ages.” Most ideas remain understandable, but errors in sentence boundaries, agreement, articles, and clause construction recur. For example, “the workplaces provide sustainable amount” begins a new sentence with a lowercase letter and has an incomplete article pattern; “some individual while other are” has agreement and plural problems. The sentence beginning “Some people choose their hobbies…” is difficult to follow because its clauses are not connected clearly. Practise accurate sentence construction and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation, especially when joining several ideas.

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