Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-30

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 5.5)

Yes, it is important to have at least one hobby for all the people. They can be children, young adults, working people and the retired ones also.

Having a hobby is the most important part of our lives being busy is best for our physical health like if somebody has a hobby of doing exercise in their free time it is relaxing for the body and mind because exercise keeps you fit and active. Some people have a hobby of reading books which is best for their knowledge. Some people have a hobby of cooking different and delicious food.

I have two hobbies reading books and cooking different foods from different countries. I like reading short stories like love stories, sad stories as well as horror stories. Cooking is my favourite hobby because i am actually a foodie. I love trying to make different cuisines at home by myself, it makes me happy eating food that i cook.

My mother is a diabetic person, she sometimes do not feel well and overthinks all the time but now she has a hobby of keeping plants and she feels so good whenever she spends her free time with her plants. She love watering them and keep them clean. She had grown so many vegetables and fruits in her garden like greenchillies, mint, cucumbers etc.

From my point of view children should also have hobbies like playing cricket, football etc. They must have books to read because reading books is good for their knowledge and being busy will keep them away from the negativity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing why hobbies are beneficial for various age groups, ranging from children and working people to the retired. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. Relevant ideas are introduced, such as the physical and mental health benefits of exercise, reading, and gardening, and these are supported with personal and relatable examples, such as the mention of the writer's mother and her experience with plants. However, some ideas remain slightly under-developed, particularly when discussing young adults and working people, as the essay quickly transitions into personal preferences rather than fully exploring the societal or psychological impacts on every demographic mentioned in the prompt. To reach a higher level, the response would need to extend and fully develop the arguments for each specific group with greater depth and broader supporting examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs focusing on different aspects of the topic, and a concluding view. Ideas are generally grouped logically, with body paragraphs dedicated to general health benefits, personal hobbies, a family example, and children respectively. However, the progression between ideas can feel a bit mechanical due to repetitive transitional openings and simple sentence connectors. Furthermore, paragraphing is somewhat disjointed, and referencing across sentences is not always clear, leading to occasional choppiness in flow. To improve, the writer should employ a wider and more sophisticated variety of cohesive devices and ensure that paragraph transitions are smoother and more logically linked.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating the writer's ideas with everyday terms such as 'physical health', 'relaxing for the body and mind', and 'foodie'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items and descriptive phrases, such as 'different cuisines' and 'diabetic person', though there are noticeable instances of awkward word choice and phrasing, such as 'keeping plants' instead of 'gardening' or 'keeping them clean' instead of 'pruning' or 'tending to them'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, but the overall lexical range remains somewhat limited and repetitive. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider range of sophisticated, less common lexical items with precise collocation and stylistic awareness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional clauses ('like if somebody has a hobby of doing exercise...') and relative clauses. There is an acceptable level of control over basic grammar, and meaning is rarely impeded by errors. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues, such as run-on sentences, comma splices (e.g., 'Cooking is my favourite hobby because i am actually a foodie, it makes me happy...'), lowercase 'i', and subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'she sometimes do not feel well' and 'She love watering'). Attempts at complex structures are often accompanied by these slips. To progress, the writer must improve punctuation control, ensure consistent subject-verb agreement, and increase the frequency of error-free complex sentences.

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

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