Popular hobbies and interests change over time and are more a reflection of trends and fashions than an indication of what individuals really want to do in their spare time. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
It is trueaccurate that people’s hobbies and interests change in line withshift along with current trendscurrent fads and trends, often driven by a desire to appear fashionabledesire for popularity rather than personal enjoyment. While I agree with this view to some extentwith this perspective to some degree, some individuals adopt new hobbiesthere are individuals who adopt new hobbies because they genuinely find joy in these activitiesfind joy in the activity.
On one hand, many people embrace popular activities to showcase their awareness of current trends, even if their motivation is lacking. For example, in Indonesia, mountain biking has gained popularity, with some participating for the genuine enjoyment of the activity, while others do it merely to signal their alignment with the latest trends and showcase the most recent bicycle model.
On the other hand, there are individuals who genuinely change their interests because they enjoy these new activitiesderive pleasure from these new activities. While these pastimes may currently be fashionablemight be the latest craze, these individuals regularly change their interestsconsistently switch their interests due to their strong enthusiasm for these pursuits. Additionally, some of these hobbies may be newly developed activitiesentirely new inventions, adding to the diversity of interests.
In conclusion, it is undeniable that people’s hobbies and interests can changecan undergo changes. However, I believe that the choice of hobbies is, to a large extent, a matter of personal preference. Instead of blindly following what is fashionable, we should prioritize activities that genuinely bring us joy.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response states a clear position and is generally coherent, with controlled sentence structures and a useful example. However, at 215 words, its ideas—especially the claim that some people genuinely adopt fashionable hobbies—remain thin and partly repetitive. The highest priority is to add a fully developed explanation or example for the second viewpoint and clarify the degree of agreement throughout.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A relevant position is maintained, but the under-length response develops the second main idea only briefly and offers limited support for its qualified agreement.
Extend the second argument with a specific example and explain more explicitly how it supports the stated degree of agreement.
Coherence and Cohesion
The four-paragraph structure and progression are clear, although the second body paragraph repeats its central idea rather than advancing it substantially.
Build each paragraph through a distinct claim, explanation, and illustration so that every sentence adds a new logical step.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a good range of topic vocabulary, but several expressions are imprecise or repetitive, including motivation is lacking and interests due to enthusiasm.
Choose more exact language for social pressure and genuine motivation, and reduce repeated use of hobbies, interests, and genuinely.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are frequent and generally well controlled, with only minor lapses that do not impede meaning.
Correct small fixed-expression errors such as On the one hand and continue varying subordinate structures with concise phrasing.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Popular hobbies and interests change over time and are more a reflection of trends and fashions than an indication of what individuals really want to do in their spare time. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.