Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-14

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 5.5)

pros - improve financial condition,

cons- stress, anxiety, health issues, rewind

It is universally acknowledged that people have become workaholics and devote crucial time on professional tasks, which lead to lack of time for themselves. This tendency has both benefits and drawbacks, which i will discuss in upcoming paragraph.

On the one hand, it is undeniable that instead of earning stable incomes. People has desire to secure strong finance in terms of any emergency occurrence. It, although, is often justified that citizens have to save sufficient assets for the future because it is unpredictable. Apart from it, who knows they may face financial challenges due to unemployment or other issues. The other lucrative reason is that, having an objective to live comfortable and luxurious lifestyle to satisfy their achievements. many individuals may compromise with their leisure time and contribute it on work.

Conversely, the downside of this repercussion cannot be overlooked. Firstly, utilizing extra time at workplace might be appropriate, but the benefits of leisure activities are far more than expected. It is noticeable that people who manage the work-life balance perform well at work environment. Their productivity might be extraordinary as compared to those who do extra shifts. What is more, compromising with personal time may affect the health because it may be a great chance to rewind and exert this energy on physical exercise.

To recapitulate, after carefully considering aforementioned viewpoints. I believe that working class should be more cleared with professional and personal life because both are effectively important for healthy living.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of working long hours. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention financial stability as an advantage and health/productivity as a disadvantage, the arguments lack depth and specific examples. The introduction includes a list of pros and cons, which is not appropriate for an essay format. Furthermore, the position is not clearly maintained throughout; the conclusion is somewhat vague regarding whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. To improve, ensure each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea supported by a concrete example or logical explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing and sentence structure. While you use some cohesive devices like 'On the one hand', 'Conversely', and 'To recapitulate', their usage is sometimes mechanical. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'It, although, is often justified...', which makes the connection between ideas difficult to follow. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved to ensure a smoother progression of ideas. Ensure that each sentence leads naturally into the next to enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You use some good phrases like 'universally acknowledged' and 'work-life balance', but there are also instances of awkward word choices, such as 'compromise with their leisure time' and 'contribute it on work'. There are also minor errors in word formation, such as 'cleared' instead of 'clear'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring that your word choices are contextually accurate. Avoid repetitive phrasing and try to incorporate a wider range of topic-specific vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. For example, 'People has desire' (subject-verb agreement), 'which lead to lack of time' (should be 'leads'), and 'contribute it on work' (preposition error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with sentence fragments like 'instead of earning stable incomes.' and the use of periods where commas would be more appropriate. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and refining your sentence punctuation.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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