Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

n 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, 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 health risks. One can feel motivated, refreshed, and confident by adapting the habit of performing their hobbies or taking 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 approach of work and self-time should be adopted to stay healthy and show involvement in social life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, particularly the discussion on health and family consequences. However, the development of the 'advantages' section is slightly more superficial compared to the 'disadvantages' section. While the position is clear throughout, the conclusion could have been more effectively linked to the main body arguments to provide a more comprehensive summary. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of the task well, providing a balanced view before justifying the chosen stance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the benefits, drawbacks, and the writer's opinion. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'On the opposite side', and 'Therefore' are used to link sentences and paragraphs, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, and the flow of the argument is easy to follow. To reach a higher band, the student could focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the relationship between sentences is more nuanced.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient and generally appropriate for the task. The student uses topic-specific terms like 'financial security', 'irreversible', and 'work-life balance' effectively. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'easier the achievemnets' (likely a typo for 'ease the achievement') and 'demerits', which is slightly less common in this context than 'drawbacks' or 'disadvantages'. While the range is adequate, it lacks the sophistication and precise collocation required for a higher band. The spelling error 'achievemnets' is a minor slip that does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over basic grammar, and complex structures are attempted, such as 'a person who is spending more hours at work often misses the opportunities...'. However, there are occasional errors, such as 'working longer hours often easier the achievemnets', where the verb usage is incorrect. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors present do not impede the reader's understanding. To improve, the student should focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining the use of complex sentence forms.

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