Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-01

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)

I am of the opinion that it is very essential for children, young adults, working people and the retired to be engaged with at least one hobby because they help us to prevent idleness and lonesliness, also can developed with regualr practise to become skills.

There are times when we are not close to any family member or friends, this can be due to relocating to a newy city or town for school or work. During this time, before we get familiar with the new environmnet and make new friends, it is our hobbies that help us pass the time. For example interests like knitting is common among the elderly, who have a lot of time in their hands, they take up this art as an hobby to not just while away time but to create beautiful pieces which they gift mostly to their grandchildren and other family members.

In addition, various pursuits have been built to become useful skills that are turned into means of livelihood. People have been able to build up careers from hobbies with repeated practise over a long period of time. So many musicians and intrumentalist started their musical careers as just something they enjoyed doing when they are bored, same goes for many other hobbies like cooking, drawing, painting and even reading. It is very common for people to transform a simple activity of fun to become a passion that yields profit.

To conclude, hobbies are not just used to stop boredom or loneliness, they can be nurtured into skills that can become a career or business, so I am of the opinion that it is important for people across various ages and occupation to have at least an hobby.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing why hobbies are important for different age groups and stages of life, presenting a clear overall position. The ideas are generally relevant, satisfying the requirements for the mid-band level. For instance, the writer considers the elderly and their use of hobbies to combat loneliness, and working adults turning interests into careers. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others; the discussion on children and young adults remains somewhat brief and under-developed compared to the elaboration on working people and seniors. To move higher, every group mentioned in the prompt should receive a more balanced and equally extended level of support, exploring specific ways hobbies impact younger demographics just as thoroughly as the other stages of life.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organisation throughout, successfully fulfilling the descriptor for this band. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the argument, such as combating loneliness or developing a career. Cohesive devices are used adequately to connect ideas, as seen with phrases like 'In addition' and 'To conclude'. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on 'I am of the opinion that'. To achieve a higher level, the writer could employ more sophisticated and varied referencing techniques to link sentences and paragraphs seamlessly without relying on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, providing sufficient range to convey the main arguments clearly. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'livelihood' and 'transform', demonstrating an awareness of appropriate topic-related terms. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors that prevent a higher score, such as 'lonesliness', 'regualr practise', 'environmnet', 'newy', and treating 'hobby' as plural 'an hobby'. These mechanical and lexical slips occasionally distract from the precision of the writing. To reach the next band, the student must improve spelling accuracy and demonstrate a more flexible control of less common lexical items with fewer stylistic and word-choice errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and conditional structures. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, but they rarely impede communication, keeping the essay firmly at this level. Examples of errors include subject-verb agreement issues like 'because they help us... also can developed' and tense inconsistencies such as 'when they are bored'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, though comma splices occur, such as in the opening paragraph. To secure a higher band, the writer needs to produce a greater proportion of error-free complex sentences and maintain tighter control over verb forms, agreement, and tense consistency throughout the essay.

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

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