Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-11

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 evolving world, many people spend large number of hours of their working in office or company, which leave them with very little time for leisure activities. Although working long hours can provide financial benefits and help people develop their careers, I believe this trend has more disadvantages than advantages. In this essay, I shall discuss reason behind it with relevant reasons and real-world examples.

Out of all the arguments, one of the main advantages of working long hours is that people can earn more money, particularly if they receive overtime pay. That is to say, many people can earn more and they can improve their standard of loving, save for the future and provide better opportunities for their children. Moreover, employee who spend more time at work may gain valuable experience and develop their professional skills, which could helpful them for promotion and better career opportunities. For example, a person who consistently works for extra time may be able to save enough money to buy a house or pay for their children's education.

However, I believe that there are also some disadvantages for this trend. Firstly, working can long hours can cause stress, tiredness and other health problems, especially when people do not get enough sleep or exercise. In addition, they have little time for their hobbies, travel and spend time with their families. As a result, their relationships cannot be strong and they feel isolated. For instance, parents who often work long hours and return home late may miss important in their children's lives, which may affect their family relationships over time. Furthermore, some individuals face health and mental problems because they do not active and interact with families or friends.

To sum up, it can be reiterated that working long hours can increase income and improve career prospects. However, I strongly believe that this trends disadvantages outweigh the advantages because people should maintain healthy work life balance and also interact with families and friends, which could help them for motivation and more productive at work.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your response addresses both sides of the question and maintains a clear position: you acknowledge higher income and career development, then explain why the disadvantages outweigh them. The supporting examples—saving for a house or education, and parents missing important moments in their children’s lives—make the discussion relevant and help extend your main points. The conclusion also restates your judgement clearly. Some ideas, however, are more fully developed than others: the career-benefit point is supported mainly by a general claim about promotion, while the health and family effects receive more explanation. To strengthen the response further, explain the link between long hours and reduced productivity or wellbeing in more detail, and make the career example more specific.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, a paragraph presenting advantages, a paragraph explaining disadvantages, and a conclusion. Its progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Moreover,” “However,” “Firstly,” and “To sum up” help readers recognise the stages of the argument. The examples are generally placed alongside the points they support. At times, though, linking is somewhat mechanical, and some references are unclear—for example, “this trend” and “they” do not always point to a precise idea or group. The final paragraph also repeats several points rather than drawing them together. Use a wider range of natural transitions and make references explicit to improve the flow between claims.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “overtime pay,” “standard of living,” “professional skills,” “career opportunities,” and “isolated.” These choices allow you to discuss financial, professional, and personal effects. There are also some inaccurate word choices and collocations that make the expression less natural, such as “standard of loving,” “helpful them for promotion,” and “disadvantages for this trend.” “Health and mental problems” is also imprecise. Aim to learn common word partnerships and check spelling and word forms carefully; for example, use “standard of living,” “help them gain promotion,” and “disadvantages of this trend.” This would make your vocabulary more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in the introduction (“Although working long hours…”) and conditional clauses such as “especially when people do not get enough sleep or exercise.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “many people spend large number of hours” needs an article, and “which leave them” does not agree with the singular idea of spending long hours. In “working can long hours can cause,” the sentence structure is faulty, while “may gain…which could helpful them” is missing a verb form. Review articles, subject–verb agreement, and modal constructions, then proofread for duplicated or missing words. More accurate control of these patterns would strengthen the range you already attempt.

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