Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-24

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)

In this contemporary world, Many individuals are working longer hours, which leaves them with very little time for leisure activities. Although this situation can provide financial stability and professional benefits, I believe this have more disadvantages overall.

To begin with, one major advantage of working longer hours is that people may earn more money and improve their financial security. In other words, overtime payments, bonuses and promotions can help employees afford better housing, education and other necessities. In addition, spending more time at work allows workers to gain valuable experience and develop their career more quickly, which help them to achieve desired promotion at workplace. For instance, when employee spend more hours at job and take extra responsibilities be likely receive a promotions much faster then who only complete the minimum required work.

However, the disadvantages of this lifestyle are considerable. Firstly, having little time can negatively affect the physical and mental health. Long hours working cause stress and exhaustion, and a lack of sleep, which not only reduce the productivity of the employee but also it may cause serious health problems such as high blood pressure and chronic disease. Furthermore, working longer hours can damage personal relationships. When people spend extra hours at workplace, they do not have enough time to stay with partners, friends or children. For instance, parent who spend long hours at work every evening may miss family meals and important events, which decline the family bonding.

In conclusion, although spending longer hours at work can bring financial rewards and career development, I believe that the negative effect on health, relationships and overall quality life are more significant. Therefore, people should maintain reasonable balance between work and life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The ideas are relevant and logically extended, such as the discussion on financial benefits versus the negative impacts on health and family life. The essay is well-structured, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more nuanced examples or explore the 'why' behind the trends more deeply, rather than relying on general statements. Overall, the task is fully addressed with a consistent viewpoint throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized, with a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', 'However', and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to link ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages from the disadvantages. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to avoid a slightly mechanical feel. Overall, the information is presented in a coherent manner, making the argument easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task and allows for clear communication. The student uses some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'financial stability', 'professional benefits', 'overtime payments', and 'chronic disease'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'decline the family bonding' (should be 'weaken' or 'damage') and 'at workplace' (should be 'in the workplace'). The range is adequate, but the use of less common lexical items is somewhat limited. Improving the precision of word choice would help elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'this have more disadvantages', 'which help them', 'when employee spend') and article usage (e.g., 'at workplace', 'at job'). There are also minor punctuation and phrasing issues, such as 'then who only' instead of 'than those who only'. Despite these errors, the complexity of the sentences is sufficient to convey the intended message without impeding communication.

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