Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-12
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)
A significant number of people spend most of their time in office and do not have enough time for the leisure activities. They prioritize work over other activities such as watching movies, having dinner or travelling. Although, working more makes a man wealthy, I believe it has more disadvantages over advantages such as fatigue, health problems.
On the one hand, working for longer hours can be a practical solution for money related problems. People who work more, tend to earn more. Therefore, it makes easy for them to fulfil their dreams. They can buy luxurious house, a sports car. In addition, the individuals can offer a great education for their children. Furthermore, when a child is given a well education, the chances of success automatically increased. Moreover, when an individual devote sufficient time in the office, he contributes in overall company's growth. Hence, money can solve almost every kind of problem.
On the other hand, there are several potential disadvantages to working more in the office. One major concern is health, as people may spend large amount of time working results in various health problems. Most importantly, spending a substantial amount of time while working may affect an individual physical ability for a longer run. In addition, young people don't care about their health and after few years they will experience joints pain and fatigue. In some cases, this could result in weak relationship bonds between loved ones. People who work more, tend to spend less time with families and face verbal arguments, stress etc.
To conclude, working for longer hours can help people satisfy their monetary needs. However, excessive physical work can lead to more health and mental problems. Therefore, people should balance their profession and personal life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The ideas are relevant, such as financial gain versus health and relationship issues. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the argument about 'well education' for children is a bit repetitive and lacks depth. While the position is clear throughout, the supporting points could be more thoroughly extended with more specific examples or nuanced reasoning to reach a higher band. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the question posed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'To conclude' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the abrupt transition in the third paragraph regarding 'young people'. Despite these minor issues, the progression of ideas is logical, and the paragraphing is appropriate for the task.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'monetary needs' and 'excessive physical work'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'well education' (should be 'good education' or 'high-quality education') and 'devote sufficient time in the office' (should be 'to the office'). While these errors do not impede communication, they limit the precision of the writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('a well education', 'the overall company's growth'), subject-verb agreement ('chances of success automatically increased'), and preposition usage. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that slightly disrupt the flow. The errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points of the argument.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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