Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-07

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 many countries, working for long hours is becoming the norm as people try to achieve financial security and success. Hence, their focus on free-time activities is reduced significantly. This trend has both benefits and demerits which I will discuss in the following paragraphs along with why I believe that the disadvantages of this approach outweigh the advantages.

Working longer hours has its own benefits. Extra hours of service result in higher salaries, promotions and greater job security. One can gain more experience than others by taking longer hours of responsibility in their profession. For example, a doctor can earn more working overtime can achieve financial stability and achieve success in their career by gaining more experience. Moreover, one can consider retirement earlier than expected when securing adequate funds for the future.

On the opposite side, spending excessive time at work may lead to several negative consequences. It leads to physical and mental exhaustion and causes stress, anxiety, and other health-related problems. Therefore, it could reduce productivity and it may invite serious medical conditions. Additionally, this could weaken family relations where the involved individual feels emotional distance. This damage might be irreversible. For instance, a person who is spending more hours at work often misses the opportunities to have dinner together with the family which can become a major cause of a cold relationship or even divorce.

In my opinion, a healthy work-life balance approach minimizes the health-risks. One can feel motivated, refresh and confident by adapting the habit of performing thier hobbies or take rest in their leisure time.

Overall, working longer hours often easier the achievemnets and success but this may negatively impact health, relationships and quality of life. Therefore, a balanced

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all parts of the task, providing a clear position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, particularly the discussion on health and family relationships. However, the conclusion is incomplete, which prevents a full development of your final summary. To reach a higher band, ensure that your conclusion is fully articulated rather than trailing off. The examples provided, such as the doctor's career path and the impact on family dinners, are pertinent and help to illustrate your points effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding attempt. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'On the opposite side', and 'Therefore' to link your ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and the abrupt ending of the final paragraph disrupts the overall coherence of the response. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different themes, which helps the reader follow your argument. To improve, focus on ensuring that your concluding paragraph is as well-structured and complete as the preceding body paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'financial security', 'irreversible', and 'work-life balance' appropriately. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'easier the achievemnets' (should be 'facilitates achievements') and 'refresh' (should be 'refreshed'). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, these occasional inaccuracies prevent a higher score. Focusing on precise collocations and proofreading for spelling errors, such as 'thier' and 'achievemnets', will help you move into the higher band range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'a doctor can earn more working overtime can achieve' (a run-on/faulty structure) and 'performing thier hobbies or take rest' (parallelism error). Punctuation is generally functional, but the incomplete final sentence indicates a lack of control in the closing stages of the essay. To improve, aim for more consistent control over complex sentence forms and ensure that subject-verb agreement and verb forms are accurate throughout.

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