Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-07

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)

Various individuals are working for longer hours which leave them with no time for exercise or activities. This trend has more drawbacks as compared to its benefits. This essay will discuss the disadvantages and the reasons for this answer.

Firstly, it makes them physically unhealthy which leads to various diseases and lower energy levels. Extended office hours also include travelling time which could also limit their leisure time further. Consequently, a working individual hardly gets any time for leisure activities. Or, if they manage to spare a short period of time, they do not possess the energy to do any exercise after such a long day. Moreover, some people do not even take healthy meals because of lacking at time to prepare food. Therefore, they rely on packaged or frozen food which deteriorates their digestive system. For example, more than half of working professionals, order food from Uber, Skip the dishes etcetra.

Secondly, It affects their mental health. With the increased working hours, work load also exceeds the normal level that an individual can handle. They are sometimes even required to work at their homes after office hours. As a result, they do not get any opportunity to pursue their hobbies or spend time with their family. With time, they become aggressive and stressed which lowers their productivity and affect their mental health.

While they can earn extra bonus or promotion by working over time, but this temporary benefit takes away their physical and mental health which affect them for the long time and cannot be cured easily. Thus, work and personal life balance is a must and it also benefits both the employee and employer.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you argue that long working hours have more disadvantages, and the conclusion reinforces this by contrasting health costs with possible bonuses or promotion. You address both physical and mental effects, supporting them with relevant explanations such as reduced exercise, reliance on prepared food, stress, and less time with family. The example of ordering food adds some specificity. To strengthen the response further, develop a few claims more precisely: for instance, “more than half” of professionals ordering food is presented without a source, and the point about digestive health is asserted rather than explained. The benefits side is acknowledged, but could be weighed against the disadvantages in more detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs discuss physical and mental consequences, and the final paragraph recognises a benefit before reaffirming your position. Sequencing markers such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” “Secondly,” and “As a result” help readers follow the argument. Paragraphing is appropriate and each body paragraph has a central focus. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. “Or, if they manage to spare a short period of time” reads as a fragment-like continuation, while “While they can earn extra bonus or promotion … but” combines two contrasting structures awkwardly. The conclusion also introduces work-life balance rather abruptly. Use transitions that clarify how each point supports your overall comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “leisure activities,” “energy levels,” “packaged or frozen food,” “work load,” “hobbies,” and “productivity.” These choices make the main ideas clear, and terms such as “physically unhealthy” and “mental health” suit the subject. There are also some inaccurate or unnatural choices that limit precision: “lacking at time” is not idiomatic, “extra bonus” is redundant, and “work and personal life balance” would be more naturally expressed as “work-life balance.” “Deteriorates their digestive system” is also an imprecise collocation. Aim to learn common word partnerships and check spelling, as in “et cetera,” so that your vocabulary sounds more natural and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including relative clauses (“which leads to various diseases”) and cause-and-effect structures (“As a result, they do not get any opportunity…”). Meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. In “work load also exceeds the normal level that an individual can handle,” the subject-verb agreement should be “workload … exceeds” (the noun is singular); later, “which lowers their productivity and affect their mental health” should use “affects” to agree with “which.” The sentence beginning “While they can earn…” incorrectly pairs “while” with “but”; use one contrast marker. There are also punctuation and sentence-boundary issues, particularly the standalone “Or” sentence. Proofread for agreement and ensure each sentence has a complete, well-connected structure.

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