Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. Others choose not to make any plans at all for their free time. Compare the benefits of planning free-time activities with the benefits of not making plans. Which do you prefer - planning or not planning for your leisure time? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your choice.
Sample Response
Nowadays people have so many things to do that they almost always do not have enough time for it. When we go to bed we carefully think and plan our next day and it continues day in and day out. We wake up, recollect our checklist with things to do and in a few minutes, we are already in a car on our way to the office. Often people do not have time for themselves. So, when people have some spare time they want to use it wisely.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add opening comma Original: Nowadays people Suggested revision: Nowadays, people Why it matters: A comma should separate the introductory adverb from the main clause.
- 2. Fix negative scope Original: almost always do not have enough time for it Suggested revision: rarely have enough time for everything they need to do Why it matters: The revision places the frequency meaning naturally and replaces the unclear pronoun.
- 3. Use natural collocation Original: recollect our checklist with things to do Suggested revision: review our to-do list Why it matters: People review a list of tasks rather than recollecting a checklist.
- 4. Make timing concise Original: in a few minutes, we are already in a car Suggested revision: within minutes, we are already in the car Why it matters: The revised phrase is more concise and uses the natural definite article for the routine journey.
- 5. Place adverb naturally Original: Often people Suggested revision: People often Why it matters: Mid-position is more natural for this frequency adverb in a neutral statement.
- 6. Mark dependent clause Original: some spare time they want Suggested revision: some spare time, they want Why it matters: A comma should separate the introductory when-clause from its main clause.
- 7. Sentence rewrite Original: When we go to bed we carefully think and plan our next day and it continues day in and day out. Suggested revision: When we go to bed, we carefully think about and plan the next day, repeating this routine day after day. Why it matters: The rewrite fixes the verb pattern and gives the final pronoun a clear referent.
Suggested Rewrites
- Nowadays people Nowadays, people
- almost always do not have enough time for it rarely have enough time for everything they need to do
- recollect our checklist with things to do review our to-do list
- in a few minutes, we are already in a car within minutes, we are already in the car
- Often people People often
- some spare time they want some spare time, they want
Why this response received Band 5.0
The response’s strongest feature is a readable opening that establishes how limited time can make leisure choices important. Its decisive limitation is that it ends before answering the task: it neither compares the benefits of planning and spontaneity nor states and supports a preference, and it is substantially under length. The highest priority is to complete the essay with two comparative body paragraphs, a clear choice, and specific examples.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The paragraph offers only general background about busy lives and does not address either requested comparison or give the writer’s preference.
State a clear preference, explain benefits of both planned and unplanned leisure, and support the choice in a response of at least 250 words.
Coherence and Cohesion
The short paragraph has a basic chronological flow, but it does not develop into an organised argument and relies on repetitive references to time and people.
Build a full introduction-body-conclusion structure with one paragraph for each approach and a clear logical comparison between them.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is adequate for everyday routines, but the very short response demonstrates limited range and includes awkward phrases such as “recollect our checklist”.
Use more natural and topic-specific expressions such as “review our to-do list”, “schedule leisure activities”, and “act spontaneously”.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses both simple and complex sentences with generally clear meaning, though reference, punctuation, and phrasing errors remain.
Add commas after introductory clauses and ensure pronouns agree with their antecedents, for example replacing singular “it” after “so many things”.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. Others choose not to make any plans at all for their free time. Compare the benefits of planning free-time activities with the benefits of not making plans. Which do you prefer - planning or not planning for your leisure time? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your choice.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.