Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-09

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)

It is necessary for kids, young people, working professionals and the retired people to have at least one hobby. I completely agree with the statement because having a hobby is beneficial for the mental well-being, and it helps us to understand our needs.

Engaging in past time activities during idle hours can help to reduce stress. Engaging in a work which individuals like to do can release dopamine in brain, which is a chemical for happiness. Individuals of every age groups have some level of stress, so doing activities, which they love, can overcome distress and boost happiness. For instance, if someone likes to read in spare time, actively reading during free time would make a person feel happy and less stressed.

Another reason to support my viewpoint is that men and women can better understand what they want from life. Some people remain unhappy throughout their life because they never pursue their hobbies, while others remain happy because they engage in hobbies along with their tasks. Those who pursue their hobbies would not only live happily but also get to know their purpose in lives. For instance, engaging in cooking during free time as a hobby can help a person to realize that cooking is the thing they should do to stay happy in life.

To conclude, having a activity to kill time is crucial for every person of different age groups whether they are little ones, adolescents, working professionals or senior citizens. This is because, hobbies can assist in overcoming stessful situations and it also facilitates in knowing what a person wants in life to live happily.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you completely agree that people of all ages should have a hobby. You give two relevant reasons—reducing stress and helping people understand what they want from life—and support each with an example, such as reading for relaxation and discovering an interest in cooking. This addresses the task well. However, the second reason is less fully explained: the claim that hobbies reveal a person’s “purpose in lives” is broad, and the cooking example does not show clearly how a hobby might lead to that discovery. To strengthen the response, explain the process or outcome more specifically and connect each example directly to the benefits for different age groups. The position and relevant support are already clear, but development is not consistently thorough.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting separate reasons, and a conclusion that restates your view. The progression from stress relief to self-understanding is logical, and phrases such as “Another reason” help signal the shift. Some linking and reference are less natural or precise, however. Repeating “Engaging” at the start of consecutive sentences makes the first body paragraph feel mechanical, while “Those who pursue their hobbies” could refer more clearly to the people described in the previous sentence. The conclusion also repeats the main points rather than drawing them together in a more concise final statement. Use a wider range of natural transitions and clearer pronoun references, while keeping the effective paragraph structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss the topic, including “mental well-being,” “reduce stress,” “pursue their hobbies,” and “purpose.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the examples are easy to follow. There are also some inaccurate or awkward expressions that limit precision and naturalness: “past time activities” is not the usual phrase for leisure pursuits, “release dopamine in brain” is an imprecise collocation, and “activity to kill time” can suggest merely passing time rather than a meaningful hobby. “Stressful” is misspelled as “stessful,” and “purpose in lives” is awkwardly phrased. Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling and word forms; this will make your vocabulary sound more fluent and appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “because having a hobby is beneficial…” and “if someone likes to read in spare time…”. Most sentences remain understandable, and the overall meaning is clear. Some grammatical errors persist, particularly with articles, agreement, and plural forms. For example, “a activity” should be “an activity,” “every age groups” should be “every age group,” and “a work which individuals like to do” needs a more suitable grammatical construction. In the final sentence, “it also facilitates” does not agree clearly with the plural subject “hobbies,” and the comma after “This is because” is unnecessary. Review article use and subject–verb agreement, and proofread sentence endings and punctuation. Greater accuracy across these patterns would improve control.

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