Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-07-26

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Many people work long hours, leaving very little time for leisure activities.

Does this situation have more advantages or more disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

It is widely believed that individuals who are working for long hours are unable to spare time for leisure activities which often leads to being less social. In my view, the disadvantages weigh more than the advantages due to several reasons discussed further.

The first and foremost reason is compromising your health in many forms while working for prolonged hours. It not only affects your eyesight, your mental peace but also leads to degradation in your physical health which may cause serious health issues, for example back pain, weak eyesight, migrane and much worse.

The other significant reason is that the person might also comprehend themselves from socialising and convert them into an introvert, because when an individual is already exhausted at work they prefer being alone rather than spending leisure time with friends or family. These scenarios usually point towards an unhappy lifestyle.

Whereas, having a work life balance is an essential skill to add in one's life as it protects you personal as well as your work life by maintaining a balance to accomplish all the task weather it s professional or related to home. Spending time exploring various activities can prevent one from having a serious illness and keep the mind fresh and relaxed.

In conclusion, it is necessary to maintain a balanced lifestyle rather than just focusing on financial gains as it will not only enhance an individual personality but also create an exquisite image in front of colleagues and friends about balancing work and leisure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The ideas are relevant, focusing on health and social isolation. However, the development is somewhat limited. While the health impacts are listed, they are not fully explored in terms of their broader consequences. The argument regarding social isolation is a bit unclear due to phrasing issues, such as the use of 'comprehend themselves from socialising'. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of how these long hours impact society or the individual's long-term career prospects, rather than just listing symptoms.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a progression of ideas from health to social life to a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'The first and foremost reason', 'The other significant reason', and 'In conclusion'. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or are used with minor errors, such as 'Whereas' at the start of the fourth paragraph, which does not effectively contrast with the previous point. Referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at more sophisticated language like 'degradation', 'prolonged', and 'exquisite image'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors. For example, 'comprehend themselves from socialising' is incorrect; 'withdraw from socialising' would be more natural. 'Accomplish all the task weather it s professional' contains a spelling error ('weather' instead of 'whether') and a grammatical slip. While the range is sufficient to convey meaning, the inaccuracies prevent a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'migrane' (spelling), 'it s' (punctuation), and 'accomplish all the task' (pluralization). The sentence 'The other significant reason is that the person might also comprehend themselves from socialising and convert them into an introvert' is grammatically confusing. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the essay from reaching the 7.0 band, which requires frequent error-free sentences.

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