Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-02

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)

While some people argue that professional life is the most significant thing in life and have less interest in leisure, others claim that are more enthousiastic concerning their hobbies and interests than their jobs. I believe both perspectives have merit, although i'm on the side of people who get excited about their leisure interests.

One major advantage of having a hobby is entertainment life does not only revolve around work, it is improtant to have a life outside of your professional one this is largely because individuals want to rejuvenate when they get off work, the majority of people gravitate towards what stimulates dopamine the happiness hermone, some are gifted in different niches such as writing poetry, playing chess or sports it helps employees unwind and get innovative whether at work or outside

Another factor worth considering is that not everyone is interested in having hobbies some people are so work driven that they don't have time to try out new things nor the budget for it due to important prioprities such as family however it's not always the case some people take work as leisure interest and they get creative and help build sustainable projects to our society

overall i think that having interests outside professional life should outweight taking work as th emost important tn

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear personal preference for leisure interests, and you mention relevant reasons, including relaxation, creativity and the fact that some people have family priorities or treat work as a source of fulfilment. However, the task is only partly addressed: the two attitudes are not discussed with balanced, developed arguments, and the work-centred perspective receives only brief treatment. Examples such as poetry, chess and sports are listed but not explained, so their relevance to the argument remains general. The response also contains 217 words, below the required 250, which limits the space available to develop both sides. To strengthen the response, explain why some people prioritise careers—for example, purpose, financial security or ambition—and support each main point with a specific example before reaching your conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a concluding opinion. The opening also signals your position, and phrases such as “Another factor worth considering” and “overall” help indicate movement between points. However, progression within the paragraphs is difficult to follow because several ideas are joined into long, unpunctuated sentences. For instance, the first body paragraph moves from entertainment to dopamine, hobbies and workplace innovation without clearly showing how each point connects. The second paragraph shifts from people lacking time or money to people who enjoy work, but the contrast is not fully explained. Use one central idea per paragraph, divide supporting points into clear sentences, and use linking expressions to show cause, contrast and example more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “rejuvenate,” “stimulates,” “creative” and “sustainable projects,” and the examples of hobbies help make the discussion specific. However, the range is uneven, with repeated general terms such as “work,” “people” and “interests,” and several inaccurate or awkward choices reduce precision. For example, “entertainment life” does not express the intended idea naturally, while “happiness hermone” appears to mean “happiness hormone.” There are also spelling errors such as “improtant,” “prioprities” and “outweight.” Aim for accurate collocations and a more formal register, such as “work-centred lifestyle,” “leisure pursuits” and “financial commitments.” Proofreading spelling and word forms would make your meaning clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex structures, including “although” in the introduction and “whether … or …” in the first body paragraph, but control is inconsistent. Several sentences run together without full stops or other appropriate punctuation; the first body paragraph, for example, combines multiple independent ideas in one sentence, making the relationships between them unclear. There are also errors in sentence construction, as in “others claim that are more enthusiastic,” where the subject is missing after “that.” The final sentence is incomplete, which prevents the conclusion from being fully expressed. Use shorter, complete sentences, check that each clause has a subject and verb, and vary simple sentences with carefully controlled subordinate clauses. Accurate punctuation and complete sentence endings are important priorities.

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