Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-16

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 5.5)

Numerous individuals only spend their time on work and they do not taking interest in other activities because they don't have enough time. Some people have many goals in their lives, so they think to give most of the time to work can help them to acheive their targets, and others believe that there should be some extra time for healthy activities because this can refresh the minds after busy day.

There are many merits for working too long in a day. This can help people to earn extra income and they can afford luxeries in their lives. For instance, many busy people have expensive cars, mobile phones and big houses etc.

So, they use to work for extra hours and this is not a burden for them, this act satisfy them.

On the other hand, this act have some demerits also. The people who occupy themselve in works always, they don't enjoy many other things. For example, busy person can irritate easily because he is exhausted. Moreover, they cannot attend family festivals and then they lost their relatives. As a result, they are alone in old ages because they spent most of their time in work they don't have friends and family.

In conclusion, both trends have some advantages and disadvantages. People should balance their life and work. Extra things in every situations can create problems. There are many tips of how you can manage the routine. Work is very important for better life but excess amount can not good for the well-being of any person.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the issue by describing possible financial benefits and the effects on health, family life, and social connections. The examples of buying expensive possessions and missing family festivals are relevant. However, the question asks you to decide whether the advantages or disadvantages are greater, and your position remains unclear: the conclusion says both sides have advantages and disadvantages, then recommends balance without stating which side outweighs the other. Several points are also only briefly explained, such as how extra income helps people achieve their goals or how long hours affect well-being. State your judgement clearly in the introduction and conclusion, then develop each main reason with a specific explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “For instance,” “On the other hand,” and “Moreover” help signal the relationship between ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and some connections feel mechanical. For example, the move from missing family festivals to being alone in old age needs a clearer explanation of how one leads to the other. The opening also presents contrasting views without establishing the essay’s own direction. Improve cohesion by organising each paragraph around one central point, using clear cause-and-effect links, and referring back to the main question as the argument develops.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to work and its effects, including “extra income,” “exhausted,” “family festivals,” and “well-being.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, and there is some attempt to use less common expressions. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “luxeries,” “this act satisfy them,” and “lost their relatives,” which can make the intended meaning less precise. Spelling errors such as “acheive” and “themse[l]ve” also affect accuracy. Build a more reliable range of phrases for discussing work-life balance, and check whether verbs and nouns combine naturally. For example, people may “miss family gatherings” rather than “not attend family festivals.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because,” “so,” and “because this can refresh the minds.” This allows you to express reasons and consequences, but control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “they do not taking interest,” “this act have,” and “this act satisfy them”; these require correct verb forms and subject–verb agreement. The sentence beginning “The people who occupy themselve in works always” is also awkwardly structured, while “can not good” is missing a verb. Focus first on accurate basic sentence patterns, then practise combining clauses with correct agreement, verb forms, articles, and punctuation. Proofreading each sentence for a complete verb phrase would help.

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