Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-07-29
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)
In this fast-paced professional life, it is a burning issue that the number of people are escalating who works overtime due to stringent deadlines and workload. Sometimes, individuals also work longer hours in order to earn more money to maintain finance. Owing to this, people are not having sufficient time for leisure activities and this is impacting their work- life balance. It is a double-edge sword, as it has merits and demerits that cannot be overlooked.
To commence with, change is the spice of life. In the recent years, due to hustle and bustle of life, working professionals are not able to have spare time for their hobbies or leisure activities. This is negatively affecting on their physical as well as mental well-being. Recreational activities like going to gym, playing sports or even listening to music can alleviate stress to a certain level and can also impact psychologically. Leisure activities play a significant role in diminishing stress level and ameliorating efficiency and productivity. For instance, people who like to travel, it can rejuvenate their souls and can keep them refreshed as travelling to quiet mountainous regions can provide tranquility and peace of mind.
On the flip side, there are certain drawbacks of not following hobbies or performing recreational activities. Firstly, it can generate lack of gratification and can proliferate stress level which can impact personal life as well. Moreover, people who do not carry out leisure activities can lead to disappointment instead of feeling ecstatic. Additionally, it also can result into health issues such as diabetes, blood pressure issues and obesity.
To recapitulate, working for more hours can be beneficial to a certain level; however, pursuing desired leisure activities is also incredibly significant. Therefore, an optimum balance between these two is required in order to live a happy life and feeling contentment all the time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the impact of long working hours on leisure time. However, the development is somewhat unbalanced. While you mention that the situation has both merits and demerits, the body paragraphs focus almost exclusively on the disadvantages of not having leisure time, rather than exploring the 'advantages' of working long hours as requested. The position is clear, but the argument lacks depth regarding the benefits of working long hours, which makes the response feel slightly one-sided. To improve, ensure you provide a more balanced exploration of both sides of the argument before concluding.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'On the flip side', and 'To recapitulate' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved. For instance, the second paragraph jumps between general statements and specific examples without smooth integration. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow, though the link between the introduction's mention of 'merits' and the subsequent body paragraphs is weak.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, including phrases like 'stringent deadlines', 'double-edge sword', and 'ameliorating efficiency'. There are some minor collocation errors, such as 'maintaining finance' (should be 'maintaining financial stability') and 'negatively affecting on' (the verb 'affect' does not take a preposition). Additionally, some phrasing is slightly unnatural, such as 'proliferate stress level'. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, and you attempt to use more sophisticated language throughout the essay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'In the recent years, due to hustle and bustle of life, working professionals are not able to have spare time...'. There are several grammatical slips, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the number of people are escalating who works overtime') and incorrect preposition usage. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, focus on refining your control over complex sentence structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement is consistent throughout your writing.
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