Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-24

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)

Whether one should work for longer hours to meet dealines or keep the work-life balance, thats is a contentious issue nowadays.

Majority of the people tend to hard work to achieve their KPIs, leaving no time to relax results in major health issues. While some tend to prioritise mental and physical health rather than focusing on work. From my perspective, having a balance approach is a solution to this problem.

On the one hand, the individuals who just focus on the assigned projects, work for long hours and hardly take some time off to unwind, seems to be the top performers in any organization. No doubt, this approach helps them to achieve their career goals relatively quickly. However, in the long run, these people suffer from numerous mental and physical health problems such as depression, anxiety and cardiovascular issues.

On the other hand, there are individuals who prioritise their health over work. For instance, if sometimes they are asked to stay late in the office for some critical projects, they decline without any hesitation. Consequently, they are considered as non-reliable employees. With the passage of time, things at work become harder for them. Eventually, either they quit the job or they are terminated.

One should have a balance approach to deal with these kinds of situations. For instance, the people who work in an environment where they are expected to work for long duations, should take weekend off on regular basis. Also, they should communicate the same to the company's management. Along with that, they should also participate in the leisure activities such as hanging out with friends, or spending quality time with their family on off days.

Nothing should be taken to an extreme end. Working for longer durations, without focusing on health drains the energy in the individuals. Similary, only focusing on having fun, considering work as a secodary part of life, often cost people their jobs. Having a balance approach is the ultimate solution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of working long hours and providing a clear personal perspective. The introduction outlines the two sides of the issue, and body paragraphs explore the career progression benefits alongside the physical and mental health drawbacks. However, some ideas feel slightly repetitive, particularly when reiterating the need for a 'balance approach' throughout the essay and in the conclusion. The examples provided, such as employees declining extra tasks being viewed as unreliable, are relevant and effectively support the arguments. To reach a higher band, the development of ideas could be more varied, avoiding minor circularity in the argumentation while maintaining the clear position presented throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into an introduction, clear body paragraphs examining opposite sides, a proposed solution paragraph, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Consequently', and 'Eventually' are used to guide the reader through the argumentation. Paragraphing is managed sufficiently, ensuring distinct thematic shifts between the advantages, disadvantages, and the suggested solution. Nevertheless, occasional clunky transitions and minor referencing issues, such as 'the people who work in an environment...', affect the natural flow. Overall progression is clear, meeting the requirements of a Band 7 performance for this criterion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating less common items such as 'contentious issue', 'cardiovascular issues', and 'non-reliable employees'. However, there are notable lexical and collocational inaccuracies throughout the text. For instance, the phrases 'meet dealines' (spelling slip), 'balance approach' (should be 'balanced approach'), and 'weekend off on regular basis' (missing articles and pluralization) detract from precision. Additionally, 'hard work' is used as a verb phrase ('Majority of the people tend to hard work') rather than 'work hard'. These errors indicate control typical of Band 6, where the vocabulary is sufficient for communication but features noticeable slips in word choice and form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional forms ('if sometimes they are asked...') and relative clauses. There are, however, several grammatical errors that persist. In the opening sentence, 'thats is a contentious issue' contains a typo and grammatical oversight, while 'leaving no time to relax results in major health issues' lacks a clear subject for the participle phrase. Subject-verb agreement issues also appear, such as 'the individuals who just focus... seems' (should be 'seem'). Punctuation and article errors are present throughout the text. Despite these inaccuracies, communication is rarely impeded, supporting a Band 6 score.

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