Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-16

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)

When applying for a new job, employees sometimes have to provide personal information for the selection, such as their interests and hobbies, and whether they are single or married. Many people consider this information rather irrelevant and unsuitable while others consider it to be appropriate. Let us analyse both perspectives in the subsequent paragraphs with some relevant examples.

To begin with, this section sheds light on the favourable consequences and advantages associated with personal questions about employee choice. First and foremost, getting to know about employee’s interests and hobbies not only reflects an individual’s personality, but also discloses his/her strengths and weaknesses. Similarly, asking a person if he/she is single or married helps manager to allocate tasks. For example, a married person understands the sense of responsibility and team work. On the other hand, a single individual reflects independence, enthusiasm and creative nature.

On the contrary, this paragraph focuses on negative repercussions and drawbacks concerning personal queries when applying for a job. Asking private questions about someone’s life creates negative impression about a company and a job, and employees might feel uncomfortable where they are primarily judged over their interests and marital status rather than their strengths and skills. To exemplify, in India, when people apply for new jobs, they often have to provide details about their private life. As a result, many people feel constrained in such working environment, and they cannot perform with their real strengths.

In my opinion, asking such intimate questions at workplace do not define a person’s true abilities. Rather than making employees uncomfortable by asking intimate questions, they should be asked about their valuable traits and abilities, and how to adopt them in various circumstances.

To encapsulate, I personally believe that an employer should be given the opportunity to perform his/her duties according to their excellence and talents, so that they can gain valuable experience rather than assuming their worth based on private life.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that personal information is relevant and useful, and that it is not—while also providing a clear personal opinion throughout the essay. The student puts forward relevant ideas, such as how marital status might reflect teamwork or independence, and how private inquiries can create a negative impression of a company. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or rely on broad generalizations, such as the example regarding job applicants in India. Overall, the position is well-supported and meets the criteria for Band 7, as all parts of the prompt are covered and supported with clear arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction to arguments in favour, arguments against, the writer's personal opinion, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'To begin with', 'On the contrary', and 'To encapsulate'. However, there are minor issues with referencing and transition choices, such as 'asking such intimate questions at workplace do not define' where the plural agreement is slightly faulty, and paragraphing could be slightly more seamlessly linked. The progression of ideas remains easy to follow, aligning closely with the requirements of a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision. Less common lexical items are attempted, including 'favourable consequences', 'negative repercussions', 'marital status', and 'intimate questions'. There are occasional inaccuracies in word choice or collocation, such as 'personal information for the selection' instead of 'job application', and 'employee choice' instead of 'employees'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and vocabulary does not impede communication. These characteristics place the lexical performance firmly at Band 6.5, rounded to 6.0 based on the minor collocational slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms quite successfully, incorporating conditional and participial clauses such as 'when people apply for new jobs, they often have to provide details...' and 'rather than making employees uncomfortable...'. However, there are several grammatical errors present, particularly with subject-verb agreement and prepositions, such as 'asks people applying for jobs... and whether they are married or single' (handled fine, but later: 'asking such intimate questions at workplace do not define' where 'workplace' lacks an article and 'do' should be 'does'). Punctuation is mostly accurate, and meaning is rarely impeded. This performance corresponds to a Band 6.

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