Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-10

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 7.0)

While a large portion of society believes that individuals allocate more time on working which ultimately reduces their exposure to pastime activities, others disagree with the statement. From my standpoint, this scenario's demerits definitely overweigh its merits. Although working for longer periods is beneficial for a person's finacial stability and a better lifestyle, free time activities are more crucial for an individual's mental and physical wellbeing.

One of the major advantages of the given situation is that working longer hours facilitate employees to get extra pay in the form of overtime salary. To elaborate, workers who work after company's regular hours are often provided with more money. As a result, they can afford a more comfortable and luxurious lifestyle. To cite an example, employees working in Canada often get nearly double of their regular pay for the overtime on hourly basis.

On the other hand, many disadvantages can be considered of this scenario. The primary one is the imbalance in the mental well being of a person. Individuals who work more and have less time to do what they like usually end up living a frustrated and stressful life which not only affects their mental health since they do not have time to relax but also puts a negative impact on their overall productivity.

Another demerit is the lack of physical fitness. Less involvement in leisure activities and extra working push people towards unhealthy and sedantary lifestyle since they have no bodily movements throughout the day. To illustrate, corporate workers usually work on even weekends to meet deadlines and do not perform any physical activity because they are too exhausted. This leads to many health concerns among them such as heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrest and many more.

Taking everything into account, I finally conclude that even though a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle is a great benefit of working more and focusing less on free time activities, its disadvantages cannot be ignored since they have a direct impact on the mental and physical well being of the people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you judge the disadvantages of long working hours to outweigh the benefits, and you maintain this view in the conclusion. You address both sides by explaining the financial benefit of overtime and the mental and physical costs of reduced leisure. The examples about overtime pay in Canada and exhausted corporate workers help make the points relevant. To strengthen the response further, develop the supporting details with more precise explanation: for instance, clarify how reduced leisure affects productivity, or qualify the broad claims about health outcomes. The argument is clear and supported, though some statements remain general rather than being fully explored.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear, effective structure: an introduction, a paragraph on the advantage, two paragraphs on disadvantages, and a conclusion. The progression from financial benefits to mental and physical harms is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the other hand,” “Another demerit,” and “Taking everything into account” guide the reader. Paragraphs each have a recognisable central focus. At times, however, the linking language is somewhat formulaic, and some connections within sentences could be smoother—for example, the long sentence beginning “Individuals who work more…” combines several effects at once. Use a wider range of referencing and transitions, and divide or reshape dense sentences to make relationships between ideas more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

You use a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss work, leisure, and wellbeing, including “financial stability,” “overtime,” “sedentary lifestyle,” and “overall productivity.” These choices show some awareness of formal style and help express the main ideas clearly. There are occasional inaccuracies in spelling, word form, and collocation, such as “finacial,” “sedantary,” “overweigh,” and “puts a negative impact”; these reduce precision even though the meaning is generally understandable. Some expressions are also less natural, including “exposure to pastime activities” and “bodily movements.” Aim for more idiomatic combinations and check spelling carefully. More precise vocabulary for describing health and work-life balance would add flexibility without relying on broad phrases such as “many health concerns.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You demonstrate a variety of sentence forms, including complex clauses with “Although,” “since,” and “which,” and many sentences are grammatically controlled. The opening contrast and the sentence explaining the effects of stress show an ability to connect ideas in longer structures. A few errors persist in agreement and sentence construction. For example, “working longer hours facilitate employees” needs a singular verb (“facilitates”), while “extra working push people” needs a plural subject or a different construction. In “working after company's regular hours,” the possessive article is missing. Some long sentences also become difficult to manage, particularly the sentence about mental health and productivity. Review agreement and articles, and keep complex sentences clear and balanced.

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