Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-03

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 competitive era people are forced to work more to fulfil their aim and needs of life. As they work for more that 8 hours and have limited time for any recreational activities. I believe this lifestyle has more disadvantages than advantages, which this essay will discuss.

The most significant demerit of working for long hours is creating health problems. To explain, The standard time for work is 8 to 10 hours in 24 hours, however, in some sectors people spend more that that at their work. So, with the constant working of more that expected hours daily, starts damaging the nervous system, the disease such as, depression, stress may occur. Hence, harms an individuals health. Therefore one should work only for limited time.

Lack of leisure time also damage the relation is the another disadvantage of working for long hours. To elaborate, the person who spend most of their day at work have less time to communicate with their family. Thus, it affects the family bonding with spouse and children. For example, In 2015, the divorce rate were rising day by day, and when government do an survey on this issue, it is due to lack of communication with their partner. As a result, they start promoting leisure activities among families.

In my opinion, to live a happy life balance is necessary. An individual should manage their working hour and spend some quality time with their dear one's. Moreover, the activities like yoga, meditation and exercise help you to stay fit and healthy.

To conclude, working for long hour has can provide financial rewards and career opportunities. But its negative effects on health, relationships and work-life balance are far greater than its merits.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task and maintains a clear position throughout. The main ideas—health impacts and relationship strain—are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of divorce rates. However, the development is somewhat limited; the explanation of health issues is a bit repetitive, and the example regarding the 2015 divorce survey is vague. To reach a higher band, the arguments could be more thoroughly extended with more specific, logical links between the cause (long hours) and the effect. The conclusion effectively summarises the position, though it introduces a new point about financial rewards that was not previously discussed in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To explain,' 'To elaborate,' and 'In conclusion,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the use of 'To explain' and 'To elaborate' follows a very similar pattern in each paragraph. Additionally, there are some minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the sentence 'Lack of leisure time also damage the relation is the another disadvantage,' which is syntactically awkward and disrupts the smooth progression of ideas. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the progression is generally clear.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'recreational activities,' 'nervous system,' and 'financial rewards.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of word-choice errors or awkward collocations, such as 'constant working of more that expected hours' and 'damage the relation.' The spelling of 'dear one's' (should be 'dear ones') and the misuse of 'the another' indicate that while the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('the divorce rate were rising,' 'the disease... may occur') and preposition usage. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary commas appearing in several places, such as 'For example, In 2015.' These errors are noticeable but do not generally impede communication. To improve, the writer should focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining the use of articles and pluralisation, as these errors occur throughout the text.

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

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