Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Employers sometimes ask people applying for jobs for personal information, such as their hobbies and interests, and whether they are married or single. Some people say that this information may be relevant and useful. Others disagree.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

In the contemporary era, it has been observed by many people that while hiring employees for jobs, they have been asked personal questions such as marital status, hobbies, and interests. Most people think that this information is personal and should not be discussed while applying for a job, however others argue that it is quite vital to ask such questions. This essay will elaborate both the views, and in my opinion it is best to keep a personal life separate from professional life.

To commence, there are several significant reasons to ask personal information about employees while applying for a job. The prominent one, sometimes the job demands prioritising work with no fixed hours. This is because some jobs require proper attention and with no time left for the family. Therefore, asking personal questions about whether they are married or single can help them choose the perfect candidate for the job. Secondly, it is a great way to know the employee on a personal level which can help the employer to understand their nature and build the trust between the employee and employer. That can help them adjust better at work.

Moving further, there are numerous reasons why asking such personal questions during the hiring process can be considered irrelevant. Firstly, some individuals might not be comfortable sharing their personal life in public. To explain, people are private and they love to keep their personal and professional life separate to maintain work life balance. Apart from this, employees might not be comfortable in sharing such information with strangers as they might be going through tough times and do not want the people to judge them.

In conclusion, although asking personal information can help build trust between the company and the employee, yet there are people who do not like share about their personal life at work to keep both the lives separate. In my opinion, answering these questions should be optional as some people do not prefer to give out information about themselves at work.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of work-life balance and the employer's need to understand candidate availability. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding 'building trust' is mentioned but not fully explored in terms of how personal information specifically facilitates this. The position is consistent throughout, but the essay would benefit from more detailed examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. Overall, it is a solid response that fulfills the requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two opposing views. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence', 'Moving further', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive. For example, the use of 'Firstly' and 'Secondly' is standard but could be varied. Additionally, some referencing is slightly imprecise, such as the use of 'they' in the first paragraph, which lacks a clear antecedent. Despite these minor issues, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'marital status', 'hiring process', and 'work-life balance'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'people are private' (should be 'people are private individuals' or 'value their privacy') and 'do not like share' (should be 'do not like to share'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. The student relies on fairly common phrases, and there is little attempt to use less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'it has been observed by many people that while hiring employees... they have been asked' (dangling modifier), 'with no time left for the family' (fragment), and 'do not like share' (missing infinitive marker). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some minor issues with comma usage. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. A greater variety of error-free complex structures would be needed to move into the 7.0+ range.

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