Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-07-31

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 7.0)

Due to the growing number of personal preferences, some individuals tend to work extended hours which directly cuts the opportunity to perform preferred task in their leisure time. while working longer hours may provide certain financial and professional advantages, this essay argues that the associated disadvantages are more substantial and far-reaching.

One major drawback of working excessive hours is the negative impact on workers physical and mental health. When workers are consistently exposed to long working schedules, they are more likely to experience stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. Which can impair both performance and overall well-being. If such conditions persist, workers may develop chronic health issue that ultimately reduce productivity. For example, employees in high-pressure corporate roles often experience severe health conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety due to prolonged working hours and excessive workloads which demonstrates that overwork can be injurious to both physical and mental health. Another significant disadvantage is that it can raise the family issues. Since many employees are working for extended working hours to meet the deadlines and showcase their ability to obtain promotion for senior roles. As a result, crucial family events are often missed which may eventually weak the familial bonds.

On the other hand, working longer hours provides numerous benefits financially. For example, if someone is working more than 8 hours a day they are provided with overtime for the extended hours which hinders the financial issues and it also improves the overall productivity at workplace.

In conclusion, Although there are numerous drawbacks of longer working hours, its significant pros cannot be overlooked. However, the employees should balance work-life balance to enjoy both professional and personal growth.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of working long hours, ultimately taking a clear position that the disadvantages are more significant. The ideas are relevant, though the development of the 'advantages' section is somewhat thin compared to the 'disadvantages' section. The introduction and conclusion are present, though the conclusion is slightly repetitive. To reach a higher band, ensure that the counter-argument (the advantages) is explored with the same depth and detail as the main argument, perhaps by providing a more specific example of how financial gain can lead to long-term stability or career advancement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'One major drawback', 'Another significant disadvantage', and 'On the other hand' are used to guide the reader. However, there are some issues with sentence-level cohesion; for example, the sentence starting with 'Which can impair...' is a sentence fragment that should be connected to the previous clause. Additionally, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. The use of paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at more sophisticated language such as 'far-reaching', 'chronic health issue', and 'injurious'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'raise the family issues' (should be 'cause family issues') and 'weak the familial bonds' (should be 'weaken'). While the range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, the errors in word form and collocation prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on more precise collocations would improve the overall quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with sentence fragments (e.g., 'Which can impair...') and subject-verb agreement or word form issues (e.g., 'weak the familial bonds'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are instances where sentences are incorrectly split. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. To improve, focus on ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb and avoid starting sentences with relative pronouns like 'which' unless they are part of a larger, correctly punctuated structure.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.