Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

It is important for children, young adults, working people and the retired to have at least one hobby.

What's your opinion about this?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 7.5)

It is considered imperative for people of all demographics to possess at least one hobby. I strongly support this statement and believe that hobbies are crucial activities in one's life, as they not only support cognitive and social development in younger people, but also support mental well-being in older people.

The primary reason for encouraging children and young adults to pursue hobbies is the fact that they support cognitive and social development. When youngsters engage in hobbies that involve other people, they develop social and interpersonal skills, which contribute to their emotional growth and personality development. For instance, if a child has hobby of playing piano, participating in group music sessions helps in their personal and social development. Hence, hobbies encourage overall development in growing children and young individuals.

Another significant factor is that hobbies act as a stressbuster for working and retired people. By practising at least one hobby, adults and elderly can break the monotony of their daily lives and recharge themselves. For example, when employees working all weekdays spend some time on weekends on their favourite hobby, it allows them to unwind and relax while doing one thing they are fond of, which gives them happiness. Furthermore, retired aging population can keep themselves busy while pursuing their hobbies, which prevents them from feeling isolated and depressed. Thus, pursuing hobbies is vital for working and older individuals' mental well-being.

In conclusion, I believe having some hobbies is beneficial in life as they assist in overall development of children and young adults, while allowing middle-aged and elderly people to unwind from the daily boredom and maintain their sanity.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.5
Coherence and Cohesion8.0
Lexical Resource7.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy7.5
Overall7.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position and supporting it with relevant arguments for different age groups. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the distinction between cognitive development for the young and mental well-being for the working and retired population. The essay maintains a consistent focus throughout. To reach a higher band, you could provide more nuanced examples or explore potential counter-arguments to further demonstrate depth of thought, but the current response is well-structured and fully satisfies the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is smooth. You use a range of cohesive devices effectively, such as 'The primary reason', 'For instance', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion'. The referencing is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate. The flow of the argument is natural, and the transition between the needs of children and the needs of adults is handled well, ensuring the reader can follow your line of reasoning without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, including terms like 'imperative', 'cognitive development', 'monotony', and 'isolated'. The language is generally precise and appropriate for the context. There are a few minor issues with collocation, such as 'has hobby of playing piano' (should be 'has a hobby of playing the piano') and 'retired aging population' (which is slightly redundant). However, these do not impede communication. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions to elevate the tone further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most sentences are error-free, and your control of grammar is generally strong. There are occasional minor slips, such as the missing article in 'has hobby' and the slightly awkward phrasing in 'retired aging population'. Punctuation is used correctly throughout. The grammatical structures are varied enough to support the clear communication of your ideas. To move to a higher band, ensure consistent use of articles and refine the precision of noun phrases.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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