Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-29
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 the modern era, people need to have a work-life balance. Some believe that people are spending more time at their jobs rather than spending it on different activities. Both types of the situation has its own pros and cons. It will be discussed further below.
Firstly, a person is working long hours in job because they have the responsibility of all family members, such as school fees, Home Loan, Car insurance and so on. Moreover, in some cases, he is the only person working in the family. Secondly, A person always has the dream to live a better lifestyle, which needs more money. It will force them to work overtime. For example, People are doing two jobs, or they are willing to take more duties at work so that they can work more.
On the other hand, Spending time in leisure activities will give relaxation to the body. Some people play outdoor games with friends after work, which helps them to remove the stress from their minds. In addition to this, leisure activities also allow us to spend time with families through playing mind games and helping children in their studies.It also helps to improve health problems.
To conclude this, at a young age, a person should work more hours for a better career and lifestyle, while after a certain age they should start to do leisure activities so it will reduce health problems.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt but fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While you identify both sides of the argument, the position is somewhat inconsistent; you suggest that working long hours is necessary for young people, but you do not clearly state whether the overall situation has more advantages or disadvantages as requested by the prompt. The ideas regarding financial responsibility and health are relevant, but they lack sufficient depth and specific examples to fully support your argument. To improve, ensure you clearly state your position in the introduction and provide more detailed explanations for your points.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'On the other hand' to transition between ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally weak. For instance, the transition between the discussion of financial needs and the conclusion is abrupt. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that connects back to your main argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'work-life balance', 'leisure activities', and 'overtime'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simple phrasing. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'remove the stress from their minds' or 'improve health problems'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and academic vocabulary to express your ideas with greater sophistication and nuance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Both types of the situation has') and incorrect article usage ('a person is working long hours in job'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing spaces after periods. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall fluency of the writing. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and varying your sentence structures will help you achieve a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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