Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Some argue that extensive working hours are needed for career growth and financial stability, while others argue that taking out time for relaxation and entertainment activities are more important to live a happy life. I believe that a balance is required to lead a fulfilling life in this modern era.

People in favor of a hard-working lifestyle claim that a fast professional growth requires dedicated hours of laborious work which is observed by the superiors at a workplace. If the employees are seen working everyday with punctuality and focus, they are more likely to be appreciated by the management with competitive salaries and benefits. For example, nowadays in some Asian countries, the most loyal and hard-working employees are being greeted with extensive working age and attractive allowances. Consequently, this supports a highly comfortable quality retirement life, thereby making this type of living more appealing.

However, longer hours at professional space have been accused of deteriorating mental and physical health, and destroying social relationships. Individuals who spend large amounts of time at work are not able to regulate their stress and cannot pay necessary attention on their health which leads to chronical diseases or critical conditions. In addition, a busy lifestyle drastically effects a romantic relationship with a life-partner and people tend to loose important friendship and social connections, thereby causing loneliness and isolation.

In conclusion, in order to live a healthy life a balance between both professional and personal life is imperative. Taking sufficient time out to socialize and having fun is equally important with focus on professional career.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of working long hours. You clearly state your position in the introduction, advocating for a balance. The ideas are relevant, such as career progression and financial stability versus health and social impacts. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the example regarding 'Asian countries' is a bit vague and could be more specific. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting arguments are fully extended with more concrete evidence or deeper analysis of the consequences mentioned.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use cohesive devices such as 'Consequently,' 'However,' and 'In addition' to link your thoughts effectively. While the paragraphing is appropriate, some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the flow. The referencing is generally clear, and the overall structure supports the argument well, making the essay coherent throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'laborious,' 'imperative,' and 'deteriorating.' There are some minor collocation errors, such as 'effects a romantic relationship' (should be 'affects') and 'loose important friendship' (should be 'lose'). Additionally, 'working age' in the second paragraph seems to be a misuse of the term; 'working hours' would have been more accurate. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, these occasional inaccuracies prevent a higher score. Focusing on precise word choice and common collocations will help improve this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are clear and communicate your meaning effectively. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'taking out time... are more important' (subject-verb agreement error: 'is' should be used) and 'pay necessary attention on their health' (preposition error: 'to' is preferred). Despite these occasional errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the mistakes do not impede communication. To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures with greater precision.

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