Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-23

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)

Nowadays, employers sometimes ask job applicants to provide personal information, such as their area of interest, hobbies and marital status. While some people believe that this information can help employers to make better hiring decisions, others argue that it is irrelevant. This essay will discuss both the views before explaining my opinion.

On the one hand, personal information can sometimes be useful to hiring team or employers.

to elaborates, hobbies and interests may gives rough idea about applicant's personality, communication skills, and ability to work with others. For example, someone who regularly participates in team sports may have developed teamwork, leadership and cooperation skills. similarly, hobbies such as volunteering or participating in community activities can demonstrate that a candidate is responsible and socially active. Therefore, some personal information can help employers to understand candidates beyond their academic qualifications and work experience.

On the other hand, many people believe that employers should focus primarily on professional qualification and abilities rather than private matters. Information about whether someone is married or single is inappropriate. For example, their marital status can not define their capability. Moreover, asking such questions could lead unfair hiring. An employer might unconsciously prefer a married person because they believe that person is more responsible , or reject someone because they have family commitments. This would be unfair because applicants should ideally be judged according to their skills, experience and suitability for the position.

In my opinion, employers may reasonably ask about hobbies and interests when they are relevant to the job , but marital status and other private information should generally be avoided. Recruitment decisions should be based mainly on qualification, experience, skills , and performance. For example, when hiring a physiotherapist, an employer should consider clinical knowledge, communication skills, and practical experience instead of candidate is married or not .

In conclusion, some personal information , particularly hobbies and interests, can provide useful information about an applicant . However, private details such as marital status are usually irrelevant and may encourage discrimination. Therefore, employers should limit their questions and ask only job relevant information.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all parts of the prompt, discussing both sides of the argument and providing a clear personal opinion. Your ideas are relevant and well-supported with examples, such as the mention of team sports to illustrate personality traits and the potential for bias regarding marital status. The position is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully developed; for instance, you could briefly explain why some employers might argue that marital status is relevant (e.g., stability or relocation willingness) before refuting it, which would add more depth to the 'discuss both views' requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices effectively, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Therefore', which help guide the reader through your argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. However, there are minor issues with punctuation and spacing around commas and periods, which occasionally disrupt the flow. Improving the precision of your cohesive links and ensuring consistent punctuation will help you achieve a higher score in this area.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'academic qualifications', 'unconsciously prefer', and 'encourage discrimination' are used effectively. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'to elaborates' (should be 'to elaborate') and 'lead unfair hiring' (should be 'lead to unfair hiring'). While your vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more sophisticated collocations or less common academic terms would elevate your writing to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many of your sentences are clear, there are frequent minor errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'hobbies and interests may gives' (subject-verb agreement error), 'instead of candidate is married or not' (clunky structure), and inconsistent spacing before punctuation marks. These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining your use of complex sentence structures will help improve your accuracy.

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