Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-01

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)

These days inflation has become an increasingly prominent concern, forcing individuals to work long hours and leaving very little time for leisure activities. From my perception this situation has more advantages than disadvantages. This essay will discuss both benefits and drawbacks of this trend.

To commence with, working long hours can have positive impact on peoples' lives by helping them earn a higher income. Not only do higher incomes enable people to lead more comfortable lives, but they also allow individuals to cope with rising living costs. In other words, only when individuals can achieve their financial goals and their basic necessities, if they work hard and long hours. For instance, higher incomes enable parents to provide their children quality education at reputable schools. Moreover, they can pay their bills and rents before deadlines.

Conversely, leaving having little time for leisure activities may negatively affect both physical and mental health. While, sitting for long periods can cause health problems such as obesity, a lack of exercise can also increase stress and anxiety as well as fragile family relationships. If individuals try to maintain a healthy balance between work and physical activities, they are less likely to experience serious health problems. For example, spending excessive hours at work can prevent people from spending enough time with their family or friends, resulting in poor communication and strained relationships. In this way, it can impact on peoples' lives.

TO

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of working long hours. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the argument. While the position is clear, the development of ideas is somewhat constrained by the length. For instance, the argument regarding financial benefits is logical but could be further extended with more specific examples. The conclusion is missing entirely, which is a significant omission that prevents a full development of the response. To improve, ensure you provide a clear introduction, well-developed body paragraphs, and a concluding summary to fully address all parts of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Moreover', and 'Conversely' to link your points. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'In other words, only when individuals can achieve their financial goals and their basic necessities, if they work hard and long hours', which is grammatically incomplete and confusing. Additionally, the abrupt ending of the text suggests a lack of overall cohesion. Improving the use of transition words and ensuring each sentence is complete will help the text flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'prominent concern', 'reputable schools', and 'strained relationships'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'positive impact on peoples' lives' (should be 'people's lives') and 'leaving having little time'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. To reach a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and ensure that your word choices are consistently accurate throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, the sentence 'In other words, only when individuals can achieve their financial goals and their basic necessities, if they work hard and long hours' is a sentence fragment that lacks a main clause. There are also punctuation and possessive errors, such as 'peoples' lives' instead of 'people's lives'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are structured correctly.

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

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