Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-02

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)

There is no denying in fact that the phenomena of working longer hours is ubiquitous across the globe due to its importance. In this modern world of an AI and recession, people are more lean towards working more hours. Majority of folks are in the favour of this statement due to its number of merits. However some of the poeple highlights its demerits first. In my further paragraphs, I will discuss both views.

Initiating with the benefits of the same, the first and foremost benefit is that it strengthen your financial conditions. For example, engineer working 60 hours per week, has been paid twice for outside of regular hours. Another benefit which can strike the minds of the people can be free will to get on luxury travel and shop. They do not think twice about getting their pockets lighter and working extra hours assist to pay bank loans rapidly.

On its darker side, some of the drawbacks which makes it problematic are, first spending little time with your family and friends. Secondly, not priortizing physical and mental health. For instance, they struggle to allocate more time with their children, family and friends. Last but not the least, they can’t join physical activity classes such as a gym, a yoga class, a swimming class and much more because of busy working schedule.

In conclusion to the above statment, neither its pros can be neglected nor its cons. It is a mixed bag of positives and negatives. In my opinion, striking an ideal balance between them is the key.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.5
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention financial benefits and health drawbacks, the arguments lack depth and specific, well-explained examples. For instance, the example of an engineer is brief and does not fully illustrate the broader societal impact. Furthermore, the prompt asks whether the situation has 'more' advantages or disadvantages, implying a need for a clear stance. Your conclusion states it is a 'mixed bag,' which is a neutral position that fails to fully answer the 'more' aspect of the question. To improve, ensure you take a clear position and expand on your points with more detailed reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Initiating with,' 'Another benefit,' and 'On its darker side.' However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'In conclusion to the above statment.' The progression of ideas is logical, but the connection between sentences could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some phrasing, like 'the same' in the second paragraph, is slightly awkward. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the logical flow between sentences is more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'ubiquitous,' 'recession,' and 'prioritizing.' However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'people are more lean towards' (should be 'lean towards' or 'more inclined to'), 'getting their pockets lighter' (an unnatural idiom in this context), and 'In conclusion to the above statment' (should be 'In conclusion'). While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, the lack of precision and occasional errors in word formation prevent a higher score. Focus on learning collocations and using words in their correct grammatical context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'There is no denying in fact that the phenomena of working longer hours is' (should be 'phenomenon is'), 'Majority of folks are in the favour' (should be 'The majority'), and 'some of the poeple highlights' (should be 'people highlight'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in article usage and subject-verb agreement. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. To improve, proofread your work specifically for subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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