Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-19
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)
It has always been debatable whether it is useful to collect personal information of job applicants or it is just an irrelevant thing. Some people believe this information is significantly important while others criticize this and think it is an inappropriate approach to collect such personal data. I completely disagree with the concept of collecting personal details and interests of applicants.
To commence with, recruiters often collect personal information about their employees such as their interests, hobbies, and marital status. By collecting such information, they can offer them relevant positions which could match their interests, so they can enjoy doing that work. As it is always noticed that individuals perform better on a job position which is related to their area of interest. For instance, if someone likes to interact with people, he may prefer working in customer services.
On the other hand, hobbies and personal interests does not reflect the actual personality and skill set of an individual. Individuals who are good with technology such as computer hardware or software might have a hobby of reading novels. So, this clearly justifies that employers should hire individuals considering their technical knowledge and practical experience rather than focusing on their personal life and area of interests.
From my viewpoint, while hiring a candidate, their job experience and qualifications matter much more than their hobbies and interests. For instance, nowadays, individuals choose completely different hobbies to relax and disconnect themselves from their daily life stress.
To sum up, employers often want to collect personal information, so they can designate their employees a related position to get their maximum potential. Whereas, I believe this is an irrelevant approach, employers should focus on their experience and qualifications.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both sides of the argument and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of matching interests to job roles and the counter-argument regarding technical skills. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument that hobbies do not reflect skills could be further extended with more nuanced examples. The position is consistent throughout, but the depth of analysis remains at a general level rather than exploring the implications of personal data collection in a professional context more thoroughly.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'On the other hand', and 'To sum up' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, though the connection between the second and third paragraphs could be strengthened to improve the overall progression of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, such as 'debatable', 'irrelevant', and 'designate'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are minor issues with collocation, such as 'collect personal information of job applicants' (should be 'from') and 'an irrelevant thing'. While the meaning is never obscured, the lexical range does not consistently demonstrate the flexibility or precision required for a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('hobbies and personal interests does not reflect') and minor prepositional errors. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. The writer demonstrates a reasonable command of grammar, but the range of complex structures is somewhat restricted, and the accuracy is not consistent enough to reach the 7.0 band, which requires frequent error-free sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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