Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-31

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)

Balance is very important in everyones life.But, nowadays, people are unable to maintain a good balance in their life and focus only on one thing which is not a right way to live a good and healthy life. Some people prefer to focus on their jobs rather than their interests, while others are totally opposite. In this paragraph, i will discuss both attitudes and also give my point of view.

There are some people who choose their jobs and neglect other things. There are some certain reasons behind this.Firstly, they belong from middle class family and their upbringing is like this that they make their mindset that they must need to earn a lot of money and become rich. For instance, if a kid see a shortage of money in his family, he already make his mind in his childhood that he have to make a lot of money when he become adult, so, he and his family will not see these situations again. Secondly, they feel a lot of pressure from their workflace that they live in stress all the time and forget all other things.

On the other hand, some people only focus on their hobbies and how they want to spend their free time.Reason behind this, they are more passionate for their hobbies. For instance, one guy is working in a company and his hobby is playing football. His focus is always on football but because of some reason he is doing his job. Furthermore, they find their comfort in their hobbies that they do not get from their jobs such as relaxation, happiness, freedom etc.

In conclusion, jobs and hobbies both are important in individuals life. they should know how to balance both together.In my opinion, People should find a way to move on from their work stress by spending some time on their hobbies that will make them feel better. also, people who only focus on their hobbies, they can make their hobbies their work so they can fully enjoy and earn on same time or they should realize the sincerity of work and take them together in their life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both attitudes and give a clear personal view: work-focused people may be motivated by financial insecurity, while hobby-focused people seek enjoyment and relaxation; your conclusion recommends balancing the two. These are relevant ideas, and the childhood example helps explain why someone might prioritise earning money. However, the two positions are not developed equally. The work-focused paragraph gives a reason and an example, but the point about workplace pressure is left unexplained. The hobby-focused example is also hypothetical and does not show clearly how this attitude affects a person’s life. To strengthen the response, explain the benefits and possible costs of each attitude, and make your own position more precise than simply saying both work and hobbies matter.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each attitude, and a conclusion. The contrast between the two main views is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “On the other hand” help guide the reader. However, some linking feels mechanical, and connections within paragraphs are occasionally unclear. For example, the shift from financial pressure to workplace stress is abrupt, while “Reason behind this” does not form a complete transition into the next explanation. The conclusion also combines several recommendations without showing how they relate. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example directly to the point it supports; vary linking expressions and use pronouns carefully so references remain clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including terms such as “upbringing,” “pressure,” “passionate,” and “relaxation.” The reader can generally understand your discussion of work, money, and leisure. However, the range is somewhat repetitive, with frequent reliance on “focus,” “important,” and “hobbies,” and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural. For example, “belong from middle class family” and “find their comfort in their hobbies” do not express the intended ideas naturally. Spelling errors such as “workflace” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise range for discussing priorities and work-life balance, and check collocations and spelling when editing. This would make the argument sound more fluent and appropriately academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional and relative structures, and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, errors in sentence construction, verb forms, agreement, articles, and punctuation occur across the response. Examples include “if a kid see,” “he already make his mind,” and “when he become adult”; these need consistent subject–verb agreement and verb forms. Capitalisation and sentence boundaries are also inconsistent, as in “life.But” and “In my opinion, People.” Some longer sentences combine several ideas without clear punctuation, making them harder to process. Practise checking each clause for a clear subject and correctly formed verb, then review articles and sentence boundaries. More accurate control of these patterns would improve clarity.

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