Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-26

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 6.0)

Nowadays, when we are applying for a job, employer usually asks some common questions related to our personal interest and background such as hobbies and marital status. Some people believe it is useful, while others think it is irrelevant. We will discuss both views in the upcoming paragraphs before giving my opinion.

On the one hand, the people who believe it is a positive aspect argue that it can aid in identifying the right candidate. To explain, if you know about the individuals interests, it can help you to a large extent to know the suitability of the person for role. For instance, the individuals who are more interested in nature and culture tend to become an artist or a painter in the future. In addition, without interest you will be not able to enjoy your work and fulfill work requirements on time.

On the other hand, some others are of the opposite side. To begin with, they claim that it can lead to unfair decision. Employer tend to misunderstand the married people. For example, the married individuals have less chances to get a job compare to single people. Because employer think that having a child can significantly affect the productivity of the person to work. It leads to bias in the recruting process.

In my opinion, the selection process should be based on the skills and education. Personal interests and marital status should not be asked to candidate. As it can hinder the fairness, when it comes to select the person. It can misinterpret the capacity of the individual.

In conclusion, employers ask for personal information like employees hobbies and marital status. Some people believe it can be helpful, while others oppose this. I believe it can lead to negative effect on the selection process and should not be allowed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the argument regarding potential bias against married candidates. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the point about hobbies helping to identify an artist is a bit simplistic and could have been expanded with more professional context. The position is consistent throughout, but the depth of analysis is more characteristic of a Band 6.0, as some points remain slightly under-developed or rely on generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help the reader follow the argument. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the slightly abrupt transition between the second and third paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the use of cohesive devices could be more sophisticated to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'recruting process' (which contains a spelling error) and 'hinder the fairness'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'individuals interests' (missing apostrophe) and 'less chances' (should be 'fewer chances'). The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the message but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('employer usually asks', 'Employer tend to') and article usage ('the individuals interests'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors that persist throughout the text. The control of grammar is sufficient to avoid confusion, but the frequency of errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band, as the majority of sentences are not error-free.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.