Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-29
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 6.5)
Having a hobby is crucial at every stage of life. I firmly believe that everyone should have at least one hobby, no matter what their age is. I will discuss why a hobby is important further in the essay.
The first and foremost reason to have a hobby is that it helps people to relax their minds. It is one type of getaway from their current situation. For example, nowadays, students have a heavy burden of studies, and they are constantly under pressure to perform well. In this tense situation, if they do something related to their hobby like playing sports, cycling in the mountains or going swimming can reduce stress and help them to focus on their studies. Many researchers have proven that a clear mind can increase people's ability to concentrate.
Another reason to agree of having a hobby is benificial as it can help people to be smarter and do better in their lives. For instance, if someone has a hobby of reading books, it can help them to gain knowledge about such as stocks, politics and many other sectors. People can meet new people from other cultures and see life from a different perspective if they have a hobby to go out and explore new places.
To sum up, hobbies play a crucial role at every stage of life. Having a hobby can help people to be a better person and grow well in their lives. From children to older people, hobbies are one thing which can make them feel alive.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0
The student addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing how hobbies are important for different groups of people mentioned in the task, such as students, working people, and retired individuals. A clear position is stated in the introduction ("I firmly believe that everyone should have at least one hobby"), and relevant ideas are presented, such as relaxation, stress reduction, and personal development through reading or exploring new places. While the ideas are relevant, some points could be extended further with more detailed examples. For instance, the paragraph regarding students touches upon sports and swimming, but the explanation remains slightly general. Nevertheless, the response fully satisfies the requirements of Band 6.5 to 7.0 by covering all parts of the task with a clear position and supporting details, leading to a balanced Band 7.0 score.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The response is organized into a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. Ideas are logically sequenced, moving from the general thesis to specific benefits like mental relaxation and personal enrichment. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as "The first and foremost reason" and "Another reason", which help guide the reader through the text. However, paragraphing is somewhat basic, and referencing could be smoother in places. For example, in the second body paragraph, the phrase "agree of having a hobby is benificial" shows slightly awkward linking to the previous concept. Overall, the organizational structure is clear and provides a logical progression throughout, fitting the Band 6.5 or 7.0 profile quite well. A score of 6.5 is awarded to reflect minor mechanical transitions.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and descriptive phrases such as "heavy burden of studies," "tense situation," and "different perspective." However, there are notable spelling errors, such as "benificial" instead of beneficial, and occasional awkward collocations, such as "agree of having a hobby." Despite these vocabulary and spelling inaccuracies, the language used is sufficient to communicate the intended message without impeding the reader's understanding. This aligns closely with the Band 6 descriptor, where an adequate range is shown alongside some spelling and word-choice errors that do not hinder overall communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional-like structures, such as "if someone has a hobby of reading books, it can help them to gain knowledge..." There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures present throughout the essay. For example, in the second paragraph, the clause "if they do something related to their hobby like playing sports... can reduce stress" lacks a proper subject or relative pronoun linkage, leading to a grammatical mismatch. Punctuation and phrasing errors occur occasionally, but the majority of simple sentences are clear and understandable, and communication is rarely impeded. This performance matches the standard profile for a Band 6.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.