Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

A vast number of individuals are working overtime, consequently, they fails to maintain a work-life balance and they did not find enough time for spare activities. Working for extra hours without any break causes detrimental affects on physical and psychological well being, which causes burnout, poor work performance along with lack of productivity at workplace.

In recent times, a portion of population is living a hectic life due to prolonged work schedules to meet their basic necessities without getting enough time for their family as well as leisure activities. Subsequently, many people faces mental exhaustion by being in a stressful environment which impacts their performance. A huge portion of population is facing psychological problem which mainly includes depression, work-related anxiety and social burnout. Furthermore, workload hinders them to get involve in any activity which is a source of pleasure for them. For example, People who are working in private settings are often pressurised to complete their tasks before time which enhances their stress.

In addition to it, most of the individuals get burnout and did not want to communicate with others and even they want to get rid of stressful workplace. Working in such environment effects their performance which as a result lowers the productivity of any company. People always need to spend their spare time to perform any activity which could be physical, that would help them to get relax and rejuvenate. Spending hours on work causes exhaustion which cause negative effect on their overall health as well as work performance. For example, some employees prefers to perform physical activities in their free-time which could be yoga, a long walk or relaxation exercise which helps them to get recharged for the rest of the day.

To conclude, working overtime is need of the hour, however, hobbies plays a crucial role to get back the energy and perform better. Furthermore, any activity besides regular schedule contributes towards physical and mental well being.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the negative impacts of long working hours. However, the task asks whether there are more advantages or disadvantages. The essay focuses almost exclusively on the disadvantages (burnout, health issues, lack of productivity), failing to provide a balanced view or a clear argument regarding the 'more' aspect. While the position is clear, the development is somewhat repetitive, as the same points about stress and health are restated across multiple paragraphs. To improve, you should explicitly acknowledge potential advantages (such as financial stability or career advancement) before refuting them to strengthen your overall argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Furthermore', 'In addition to it', and 'To conclude', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother. For instance, the transition from discussing personal health to company productivity in the third paragraph is a bit abrupt. Overall, the structure is coherent, but the logical progression could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'detrimental', 'rejuvenate', and 'psychological well-being'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'fails to maintain' (should be 'fail' to agree with plural 'individuals'), 'get involve' (should be 'get involved'), and 'effects their performance' (should be 'affects'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and collocations to achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Subject-verb agreement is a recurring issue, such as 'they fails' and 'many people faces'. Additionally, there are errors in verb tense and form, such as 'did not want' (should be 'do not want' for general truths) and 'some employees prefers'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices. While the meaning remains clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band, as the majority of sentences are not error-free.

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

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