Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-30

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)

Employees tend to spend longer hours working resulting in limited opportunities for relaxation. Although working extended hours may offer financial benefits and career advancement, I firmly believe that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages particularly in terms of physical health, mental well being and overall productivity.

People tend to work longer because of the heavy competition among co workers. For instance, they tend to overwork because of the fear of being replaced or demoted. Another reason is many of them are known as the bread winner of their family. With the high inflation rate in the Philippines, workers struggles in budgeting their salaries to sustain the daily needs of their own family. As a result, individuals may forget to enjoy and strike a balance between work and life. Consequently, this would result to burnout,anxiety and declining work quality.

From my own perspective, people who devote time to their hobbies are more efficient than people who works constantly. Individuals who devote time to their hobbies tend to be more happy, motivated and productive in workplace. Engaging in recreational activities allows employees to relive stress and improve their well being. As a result, they are more likely to develop a positive attitude towards work.

Overall I believe that maintaining a balance between work and leisure is essential for both personal satisfaction,long term success and is more advantageous to a person's life. People who has work-life balance are generally able to manage stress and remain motivated at work. Ultimately, the negative consequence are considerably more significant.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you acknowledge financial and career benefits but argue that the disadvantages are greater. You address the question with relevant points about family finances, burnout, health and the value of leisure, and the Philippines example gives the discussion a personal context. The comparison between people who make time for hobbies and those who work constantly also supports your view. However, some claims are asserted rather than fully explained: for example, the link between long hours and “declining work quality” could be illustrated, and the advantages mentioned in the introduction are not developed in the body. Develop both sides more evenly and explain how each example supports your overall judgement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: it introduces your position, explains why people work long hours, presents benefits of leisure, and concludes that balance is preferable. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and connectors such as “For instance,” “As a result,” and “Ultimately” make relationships between ideas clear. At times, however, the links feel repetitive or mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “As a result” and “Consequently.” The final paragraph also repeats the importance of work-life balance without adding much to the earlier argument. To strengthen progression, use a wider range of linking methods and make each paragraph advance a distinct part of the comparison, with the conclusion synthesising rather than restating points.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “career advancement,” “heavy competition,” “inflation rate,” “burnout,” and “work-life balance.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some less common terms show an attempt at precision. The range is not yet consistently flexible, however, and several collocations or word forms are awkward, such as “strike a balance between work and life,” “relive stress,” and “more happy.” There are also spacing and punctuation presentation slips, but the main lexical issue is naturalness of expression rather than difficulty understanding your meaning. Aim to learn vocabulary in common combinations and check whether each phrase fits its context; this would make the argument sound more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including the opening concession beginning “Although” and cause-and-effect sentences such as “As a result, individuals may forget…”. Meaning remains clear throughout, but some grammatical errors persist in agreement, articles, verb forms and sentence construction. Examples include “workers struggles,” “people who works constantly,” and “People who has work-life balance”; these subjects require matching plural or singular verb forms. “Another reason is many of them…” also needs a clearer grammatical link, such as “Another reason is that…”. Punctuation spacing is inconsistent in places. Review subject–verb agreement and article use, then proofread each sentence while retaining your complex structures.

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