Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-26
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 6.0)
It is widely believed that having at least one hobby is vital for people of all ages. A hobby can keep people occupied and help them develop various skills. I firmly agree with the statement, and my opinion will be discussed in the following paragraphs with supporting examples and explanations.
The main driving force in recent times is having a hobby. If followed properly, it can become a passion and make life easier. The majority of children and adolescents are interested in listening to music, playing badminton, soccer, hockey, reading books, writing poems, composing music with their own lyrics, creating artwork, and doing handicrafts according to their interests. These activities will help enhance their mental growth and interpersonal skills. For instance, if children develop a hobby or any activity in early childhood, they will learn to respond promptly. Furthermore, these extracurricular activities will boost the productivity of young adults and motivate them to do better in future.
Nowadays, elderly people feel very isolated after retirement because they are not working. Another reason is segregation into nuclear families. Therefore, having one particular interest like reading books, solving puzzles, or cooking new dishes will make them more occupied, consequently reducing loneliness. For example, some individuals feel satisfied when they read newspapers and solve Sudoku puzzles. It helps them to get updated on daily news and new challenges.
In my opinion, I would say having a hobby is essential for developing new skills.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position agreeing that hobbies are important for people of different life stages. The student covers children, adolescents, and the retired, presenting relevant arguments for each group, such as enhancing mental growth and reducing loneliness. However, the conclusion is extremely brief and repetitive, offering virtually no extension or summarization of the arguments. Furthermore, the length requirement is NOT met, as the response contains only 240 words against the 250-word minimum. This necessitates a penalty under Task Achievement for failing to reach the minimum word count, restricting the score despite the relevant ideas presented throughout the body paragraphs.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The essay demonstrates a clear overall progression. Ideas are organized logically into distinct paragraphs addressing different age groups. The introduction outlines the writer's stance, and body paragraphs follow a predictable thematic structure moving from children and adolescents to elderly people. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Therefore', and 'For instance' are used appropriately to link ideas, although referencing occasionally feels slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the introduction, body paragraphs on different demographics, and the conclusion. Overall, the organizational structure is sound and easy to follow, justifying a solid score in this category.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to the topic such as 'interpersonal skills', 'extracurricular activities', 'isolated', and 'segregation into nuclear families'. There are some successful attempts at less common vocabulary, but word choice and collocation occasionally falter, such as in the phrase 'The main driving force in recent times is having a hobby', which sounds unnatural in this context. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary choices do not impede communication, allowing the reader to easily grasp the intended meaning.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures successfully, as seen in 'if children develop a hobby or any activity in early childhood, they will learn to respond promptly.' Grammatical accuracy is generally good, with many error-free sentences, though minor awkwardness appears in sentences like 'In my opinion, I would say having a hobby is essential...', which is somewhat redundant. Punctuation is used correctly throughout. The errors present are minor and infrequent, and they do not impede communication at any point.
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