Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-20

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)

These days, while applying for a job employers asks candidates about their personal life such as interest, marital status and more. Some people find this as useful whereas others don’t. In my opinion, it’s better to keep it private.

There are some reasons to ask for such information. Firstly, if employer knows about the hobbies or interests of the employee. During weekends or while planning an event for the employees, they can arrange extracurricular activities for the employee’s where they can enjoy with their staff. This would help the employers making a good and friendly connection with their employees because if the staff is happy at their work place, they would work more effectively. Secondly, if they know about their marital status, some companies invites the spouse of the employees on some events. As such, it’s good for both owner and the workers to share such information.

On the other hand, some people might feel uncomfortable to share such information. According to them, the employers should just ask about the work experience, qualifications and qualities such as hard working, problem solving, leadership and more. Accordingly, there would be a respectful distance between the authorities and the employees. For instance, at workplace the staff would not talk unnecessary and ask their colleagues about their interest or family members because some want to maintain a distance between work and personal life. That is why, some candidates do not want to share their confidential information with the companies.

I personally believe employers should not ask such questions as I always maintain a distance about my private life and work life. My co-workers do not know anything about my personal life and I look into this positively.

AI examiner evaluation

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 benefits of team building versus the need for professional boundaries. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the argument regarding marital status is a bit narrow and could have been expanded to discuss broader implications of privacy. The position is consistent throughout, but the supporting arguments could benefit from more depth and sophisticated reasoning to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'On the other hand', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences can be slightly repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, though some pronoun usage could be more precise to improve the overall cohesion. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

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 topic-specific language like 'extracurricular activities', 'confidential information', and 'professional boundaries'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural word choices, such as 'talk unnecessary' instead of 'engage in unnecessary conversation'. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary to demonstrate greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent minor errors in grammar and punctuation, such as 'employers asks' (subject-verb agreement), 'if employer knows' (missing article), and 'invites the spouse' (subject-verb agreement). These errors do not impede communication, but they are persistent. The student demonstrates an ability to construct complex sentences, but the control over these structures is not yet consistent enough for a higher band score.

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

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