Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-05

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 today’s era, due to fast-paced lives of people , the work-life balance of most of the population has been disrupted. Therefore, many people work long hours which leaves a very little time for their leisure activities . I strongly believe it has lead to many serious concerns in peoples life. In this essay, the pessimistic aspects of this situation will be discussed.

To begin with, the most serious disadvantage workers are facing is health issues. As they work long hours, they do not have enough time and energy to go to gym or do exercise. Therefore, most of the people are today facing the problems of obesity, cardiovascular diseases , early fatigue. Adding to this, they are not even to get their proper sleep. Lack of sleep also leads to many health issues like anxiety, depression and insomnia. So, working long hours is being fatal for some people.

Furthermore, due to long working hours, most of the people have lost their emotional connection with their families. They do not have enough time to spend with their families. A recent report shows that there is heavy inclement in number of divorce cases due to long working hours. Nowadays, families do not eat their lunch or dinner sitting together as everyone in the family has different time schedules. As can be seen that the children in the family are always busy on their phones, they do not share their thoughts or their problems with their parents as they do not have enough time due to long working hours.

To sum up, although money is very crucial in today’s life but I appears to me that there should be a proper work-life balance in the people. They should also take care of their health as well as family. It is wisely said that the greatest wealth in life combines a healthy life, a peaceful mind and a loving family far beyond any amount of money.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have clearly addressed the prompt by taking a firm position that the situation is disadvantageous. You have identified two main areas of concern: health and family relationships. The ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of obesity and divorce rates. To reach a higher band, ensure that you fully explore the 'advantages' side briefly before refuting them, or provide more depth to your arguments. For instance, you could explain why the economic benefits of long hours are ultimately outweighed by the social and physical costs, which would provide a more balanced and nuanced development of your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use transition signals such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'To sum up' to guide the reader. However, some of the cohesive devices are used in a slightly mechanical way, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as 'As can be seen that the children...', which is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that sentences connect more naturally would help elevate this score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'pessimistic aspects', 'cardiovascular diseases', and 'insomnia'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'heavy inclement in number of divorce cases' (likely meant 'increase') and 'it has lead to' (should be 'led'). Additionally, some phrasing is slightly repetitive. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that your vocabulary is used accurately in context to convey your ideas more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include 'in peoples life' (missing apostrophe), 'they are not even to get' (missing verb), and 'I appears to me' (incorrect pronoun usage). These errors do not impede communication, but they are noticeable. To achieve a higher band, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct verb forms, and consistent use of articles. Proofreading for small grammatical slips will significantly improve the overall quality of your writing.

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

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