Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-22

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)

In today's expensive world people prefer working longer hours than spending time over their hobbies . Increased taxes, less savings , needs of the families contributed significantly to push people longer hours over time. Also, few people prefer to work longer hours because they feel alone . Upcoming paragraphs will clarify why working more hours can be beneficial to individuals in long term. Although, they forget to live in the present.

To Begin with, Longer hours add slightly boost to there income by adding double pay. This money can be used by people to put towards extra payments of there mortgages to get there homes loan free. To Examplify, Famous Mortgage agent Jeff stated in the BBC News interview that many individuals paid out there loans in 15 years than 20 years by adding small amount to there payment every month. Therefore, this give them happiness and sense of belonging to be living in there own home they build over years with handwork .

Moreover, people living alone were reported more stressed because they have no one to talk to . However, many people overcome this situation by working more hours because they feel that interactions with individuals at work make them feel calmer . To elucidate, I live alone at home so I feel more disappointed because I have no one to share thoughts with wherelse, its completely different when I go to work no matter how tired I get but I feel more calmer , energetic and self confident when I talk to anyone at work.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages of working long hours, such as financial gain and social interaction. However, the task asks whether there are more advantages or disadvantages, and your response fails to provide a balanced view or a clear position on which side outweighs the other. The conclusion is missing entirely, which is a significant omission. While you provide some relevant ideas, the development is somewhat superficial, and the prompt's requirement to weigh the situation is not fully met. To improve, ensure you address both sides of the argument before concluding with your own clear stance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'To Begin with' and 'Moreover' are used to start paragraphs, but the internal flow within paragraphs is sometimes disjointed. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the transition between ideas feels abrupt. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words more naturally and ensure that each sentence logically follows the previous one to create a smoother progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing, such as 'working longer hours' and 'feel alone,' which are repeated throughout the text. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'add slightly boost' instead of 'provide a slight boost' and 'disappointed' when you likely meant 'lonely' or 'isolated.' To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to work-life balance and avoid repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'this give them'), incorrect pronoun usage (e.g., 'there' instead of 'their'), and missing articles. Additionally, there are errors in sentence construction, such as '15 years than 20 years' instead of '15 years rather than 20 years.' While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy.

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

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