Some people think that watching sports in one's free time is just a waste of time. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?
Sample Response
Different kinds of sports are enjoyed by sports lovers around the world, and nowadays, it has become one of the common leisure activities, and so, some people argue that it is a waste of time and they advise opting for outdoor activities instead. In my opinion, watching sports on television is not a waste of time, but there should bebut, there should be a balance between the time spent watching sportstime spent on watching sports and taking part in other social and recreational activities. First of all, watching sports is an excellent form of entertainment, relaxation, and for many, this is even a passion to follow. Moreover, peoplePeople watch sports with others, which is a great way of socialising and strengthening relationshipsenhancing the relationship. In my country, for example, watching live sports on TV has become a social occasionan event of socialising and interacting with otherscommunicating with each other. However, spending hour after hourhours after hours in front of a TV set watching different sports without doing anythingto watch different sports and not doing anything is not recommended. FurthermoreOn the contrary, many people claim that watching sporting events in their free timesporting events in free time every day is not a good habit or a healthy activity, as this timehealthy activity as this time could be better utilised by taking part in other social activities and skill development programmes. People whoPeople, who watch TV most of the time becomemost of the time, become isolated and develop unhealthy eating habitshabit. Thus, according to manyThus according to many, watching sports on TV has no significant benefits. They affirm that participating in outdoor activities isare much healthier and more beneficialhealthier and advantageous. To conclude, we have to maintain a balance in our leisure activities; while enjoying sports is a good way of relaxation and socialisation, too much of it can be harmful. We have to choose plenty of various free-time activities, especially outdoor activities, to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response presents a clear, nuanced position and supports it with relevant benefits and risks of watching sports, which is its strongest feature. However, the entire argument is presented as one paragraph, and recurring awkward constructions weaken readability and control. The highest-priority improvement is to organise the discussion into distinct paragraphs for benefits, drawbacks, and the final judgement while proofreading agreement, punctuation, and collocation.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A clear balanced position is maintained, and relevant reasons and an example address both the value and risks of watching sports.
Develop the final judgement more analytically by specifying when viewing becomes excessive and why the proposed balance best answers the question.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas move in a generally logical sequence, but the absence of paragraphing and some abrupt transitions limit overall cohesion.
Separate the introduction, benefits, drawbacks, and conclusion into purposeful paragraphs with clearer links between the writer's own reasoning and opposing claims.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a sufficient range of topic vocabulary, though several awkward collocations and repeated expressions reduce precision.
Replace phrases such as hours after hours, event of socialising, and plenty of various with concise, idiomatic alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are attempted and meaning remains clear, but agreement, punctuation, article, and clause-control errors recur.
Proofread long sentences for comma placement and agreement, especially in forms such as people develop unhealthy eating habits and participating is healthier.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that watching sports in one's free time is just a waste of time. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.