Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-07

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)

A majority of people believe that it is essential for every individual to have at least one hobby. In my opinion, I strongly believe that everyone should have a routine at least doing one of their passion.

Firstly, having at least one hobby whether you are a child or an adult is significantly affects our daily life. For instance, doing some physical activites, cooking new meals, and maybe reading some books after a long tiring day may help improve our day. Additionally any hobbies can boost our productivity that help us do our tasks more effectively, doing some may result to being calm and thinking efficiently. On one hand, some prefer to do their hobby before their heavy tasks but some chose to do their hobby after they finished their tasks, this is because they can think effectively whether they do it before or after.

On the other hand, others require themselves to do their hobbies without disruptions to increase their productivity throughout the day, this applies to what ever age-group you are. For example, children or working people are doing their hobbies seriously but someone distracted them, this cause them to be sad and inefficient throughout the day. Moreover others tend to remain calm and productive despite any disruptions.

In conclusion, I believe that it is essential to have at least one hobby whether you are children or not. Nevertheless, they could still feel productive if they chose to. That is why having at least one hobby can boost our mental and physical well-being.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you support everyone having a hobby, and the conclusion returns to its benefits for mental and physical well-being. You also give relevant examples, such as exercise, cooking and reading, and discuss how hobbies may affect productivity. However, the response only partly develops the task. Much of the discussion focuses on when people do hobbies and how interruptions affect them, rather than explaining more fully why hobbies matter to children, young adults, working people and retired people. The point that people can remain productive despite disruptions is also introduced but not connected clearly to your main argument. Develop a few reasons in more depth and use specific examples for different age groups to make the response more complete and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the main position is generally easy to identify. You use signposts such as “Firstly,” “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” to guide the reader. However, progression within the body paragraphs is uneven: the first moves from hobbies improving daily life to when people choose to do them, while the second shifts between interruptions and remaining calm without clearly resolving the contrast. Some linking phrases, including “On one hand” and “On the other hand,” suggest opposing arguments that are not fully explained. Organise each paragraph around one central reason, and use clearer references and transitions to show how each example supports that reason.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the general topic, including “productivity,” “disruptions,” “efficiently” and “well-being.” There are also relevant examples of hobbies, which help make the discussion understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, such as “doing one of their passion,” “heavy tasks” and “result to being calm.” Repetition of “hobby,” “productive” and “effectively” also makes the argument less precise. Aim to use more natural topic-related phrases and vary repeated words where appropriate. For example, you could describe hobbies as helping people “unwind,” “develop skills” or “maintain a healthy work-life balance,” while checking that each phrase fits the point you are making.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “whether,” “because” and “despite,” so there is some variety. However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors sometimes make the intended meaning harder to follow. For example, “having at least one hobby … is significantly affects” combines incompatible verb forms; “hobbies … that help us” has an unclear agreement pattern; and “this cause them to be sad” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. There are also problems with sentence boundaries and punctuation, particularly in the long sentence beginning “On one hand.” Practise building accurate sentences with one clear main clause, then add subordinate clauses carefully. Check verb forms, agreement and punctuation when editing.

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.