Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-29

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)

The relevancy of asking personal information like marital status and hobbies of prospective employees is often questioned by many. An applicants hobbies and interests would be useful in predicting the personality or skills that they may have acquired whereas, the marital status is private information and disclosing it serves no benefit.

When hiring, employers want to hire well roundeders who not only have good academic credentials but also soft skills. To gauge how much of a team player the potential candidate is or how well he/she performs under pressure the employer often seems it benefitting to ask about interests and hobbies. For example, someone who actively plays sports is often exposed to stressful situations and works in a team towards a common goal.

On the other hand, information on personal life could be rather detrimental for both employers and the potential employees. To explain this lets take an example of bias that is often reported by women. Employers often scrutinise hiring married women based on presumptions that she might not be able to focus and prioritise work often ignoring her professional and academic history. This may lead to employers not hiring someone who was actually well capable only because their judgement was clouded.

In conclusion, employers should ask questions from applicants outside of academic and professional history to understand the candidate better. A candidate should only be asked for information that helps understanding how well he/she may suit the particular role. The likes and interests do give a picture of the personality nonetheless, asking about marital status is not only intrusive but very misleading and shouldn't be factored in.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt, discussing both perspectives and providing a clear personal opinion. Your ideas are relevant, such as the link between sports and teamwork, and the potential for gender bias regarding marital status. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, the argument regarding hobbies could be further extended by explaining how specific hobbies translate to workplace productivity. While your position is clear throughout, the essay would benefit from more depth in the supporting arguments to reach a higher band. Overall, you have successfully fulfilled the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand' and 'For example' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing, while functional, could be improved by ensuring each paragraph has a more distinct focus. The referencing is generally clear, though some sentences could be linked more fluidly to improve the overall flow of the argument. The progression of ideas is logical, moving from the benefits of hobbies to the drawbacks of personal inquiries.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. You use some good collocations like 'academic credentials' and 'professional history'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'well roundeders' (which is not standard English) and 'seems it benefitting' (should be 'seems it beneficial'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and ensure that word forms are used correctly. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'An applicants hobbies' (missing apostrophe) and 'questions from applicants' (should be 'questions to applicants'). Additionally, the phrase 'often seems it benefitting' is grammatically incorrect. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct use of possessives, and refining your complex sentence structures to ensure they are 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.