Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-18

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 6.0)

Due to fast paced life, many people invest most of their time in work and kept very less time for recreational activities. I believe that this situation has more disadvantages than its merits and it is discussed in the following paragraphs.

The most important drawback for working long hours is severe health issues. To elaborate, sitting for longer hours for work can cause muscle cramps and backache which not only affect the health but also finances too as one need to pay for medical expenses which is very costly in western countries like Canada, USA, U.K and Australia. Another main demerit of this can be personality disintegration, emotional distress and anxiety which can be observe in a person who has minimize his social circle. For example, people who do more work and socialize less are found to be rude and aggressive.

On the other hand, this can not be denied that working long hours shift provide financial stability as a person who works more get more money. For instance, in many big companies in Canada or USA pay his employers based on the number of hours they worked in a week. So, it encourage employees to work for more hours. Additionally, it helps to add more experience and ability in person's overall work history. This will help the employee to apply in well known companies in future.

In conclusion, the downside of working overtime includes critical illness, both physically and mentally such as backache, personal decline and emotional instability, but the perks specifically, financial security and work history can not be neglected.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The ideas are relevant, with the negative impacts on health and social well-being contrasted against the financial benefits. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the point about 'personality disintegration' is mentioned but not fully explored or supported with a clear logical link. While the position is consistent throughout, the essay would benefit from more depth in the analysis of the arguments to reach a higher band. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points, maintaining the established stance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'To elaborate', 'On the other hand', and 'Additionally' are used to guide the reader through the arguments. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different sides of the argument. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the transition between the health impacts and the social impacts within the second paragraph could be smoother. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

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 'personality disintegration' and 'financial stability'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'kept very less time' (should be 'left very little time') and 'minimize his social circle' (should be 'minimized their social circle'). Some phrasing is slightly unnatural, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. The range is sufficient to communicate the message, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'can be observe' (should be 'can be observed'), 'it encourage' (should be 'it encourages'), and 'pay his employers' (should be 'pay their employees'). Subject-verb agreement and verb tense consistency are areas that need attention. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. To improve, the student should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical agreement and ensuring consistent verb forms in complex sentences.

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

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