Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-20

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 competitive world, many people prefer to spend long hours at work, leaving them very less time for relaxation and personal interests. While working prolonged hours may be financially rewarding . In my opinion, the disadvanatages of this kind of lifestyle outweigh its advantages as it can negatively affect the physical health, relationships, and overall state of well-being.

On the one hand, working long hours provide several advantages. First, employees who dedicate long hours at work are more likely to recieve bonuses, incentives, or promotions. Secondly, Working overtime can be advantageous as it offers higher salaries or career advancement, which provide financial security. Therefore, people spend more hours at work because they want to learn and develop new skills. For example, young professionals choose to work hard at the early stages of their lives to get expertise on pivotal skills to achieve future success.

On the other hand, working consecutive hours have various drawbacks as well. First, employees who spend more hours at work have less to no time for relaxation leading to myriad diseases such as fatigue and heart disease. Second, they are unable to spend quality time with their loved ones and fails to maintain their relationships. For instance, parent who work long and late may miss paramount moments of their children's life which weakens the family bond.

In conclusion, although financial security and advancement of career should not be overlooked, I believe the disadvantages far outweigh its advantages because maintaining healthy work-life balance is very important.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you believe the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, and the conclusion restates this view. You address both sides of the question and support them with relevant points, including financial rewards and career development versus health and family relationships. The examples of young professionals building skills and parents missing important moments help make the discussion concrete. This is a well-focused response with ideas extended and supported. To strengthen it further, develop the consequences in more depth rather than relying on broad claims: explain, for example, how fatigue or reduced family time affects people over the longer term. The advantages paragraph also repeats the ideas of bonuses, higher salaries and advancement, so a more distinct supporting point would add depth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear, effective structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs compare advantages and disadvantages, and the conclusion gives a final judgement. The progression within each paragraph is generally logical, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the organisation easy to follow. You also use examples in appropriate places to support the main points. Some linking is a little mechanical because several points begin with “First” or “Second,” and the advantages paragraph repeats closely related financial benefits. To improve the flow, vary the transitions and make the relationship between each claim and its explanation more explicit. Overall, the organisation is clear and cohesive, with some room for more flexible linking.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary and show some flexibility with topic-related expressions such as “financial security,” “career advancement,” “quality time,” and “work-life balance.” Attempts at less common language, including “pivotal skills” and “paramount moments,” show ambition, though these choices are not always natural in context. There are also word-choice, collocation and spelling slips, such as “very less time,” “dedicate long hours at work,” “myriad diseases,” and “disadvanatages.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding your argument, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Aim to prioritise accurate, idiomatic combinations over elevated vocabulary, and proofread spelling carefully. This would help you retain your range while showing more consistent control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a subordinate clause in “While working prolonged hours may be financially rewarding” and a reason clause in “because maintaining healthy work-life balance is very important.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “working long hours provide” should have subject–verb agreement, while “they … fails” has an agreement error; “a parent who work” also needs a singular verb. The opening “While” clause is left incomplete before the next sentence, and punctuation around “rewarding” is faulty. These are examples of the some errors expected at this level: they rarely obscure meaning, but they interrupt accuracy. Check agreement and ensure every subordinate clause is attached to a complete sentence.

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