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)

Many people give long time for their work and very little for leisure activities. I believe that there are more disadvantages of prioritizing work over other hobbies.

Firstly, working long hours can make a person wealthy and respectful in his corporate surroundings. An employee or a business owner giving more time at work will likely get more money and because they complete more tasks, everyone will respect them. My father owns a convenience store and someone needs to stay there to attend the customers. He used to stay late at the store to save some money instead of hiring an employee, and this way he also earned respect from my relatives, as he is wealthy and hard-working person.

However, prioritizing work most of the time costs our precious time to live fully and can also sabotage our relationships. A person who always work long hours does not able to give any time for himself or the family with their hobbies like travelling, music or just eating at a restaurant. This leads to compromises in a relationship. For example, my mother always complain and be upset about my father devoting all his time at the store and does not look after her or the kids. Now after realizing his mistakes, he regret and always advise me to keep balance between work and life.

To conclude, I think that there are more disadvantages to devote long hours to work and ignore the leisure activities. Healthy mind and relationships are the only things which will stay with person, not money or the employer at the end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you believe the disadvantages of long working hours outweigh the advantages. You address both sides by acknowledging that extra work can bring money and respect, then explaining its costs to personal time and family relationships. The examples about your father make the discussion relevant and help support your conclusion. The disadvantages are more fully explained than the advantages, however: the benefit paragraph mainly links extra work to wealth and respect, without considering limits or whether these gains compensate for lost leisure. To strengthen the response further, develop that comparison explicitly and explain more precisely why the effects on health or relationships are more significant than the financial benefits.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present the benefits and drawbacks, and the conclusion restates your judgement. The contrast between “Firstly” and “However” helps readers follow the argument, while the examples are placed in the relevant paragraphs. The family example also connects the discussion to your final point about work-life balance. To make the flow more polished, use a wider range of linking and referencing rather than relying mainly on basic transitions, and ensure each sentence connects clearly to the previous one. For instance, the shift from the general disadvantage of lost leisure to relationship problems could be signposted as a consequence, making the paragraph’s reasoning more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss employment, leisure and family life, including “prioritizing,” “precious time,” “sabotage our relationships” and “compromises in a relationship.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the personal example gives the vocabulary a clear context. Some expressions are imprecise or do not collocate naturally, such as “give long time for their work,” “wealthy and respectful,” and “keep balance between work and life.” There is also some repetition of “work,” “time” and “leisure activities.” Aim for more precise, natural combinations and vary repeated terms—for example, use “devote long hours to work,” “earn respect,” and “maintain a healthy work-life balance.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “someone needs to stay there to attend the customers” and a cause-and-effect sentence beginning “This leads to compromises.” The overall meaning remains clear, but some errors in verb forms, agreement and articles reduce accuracy. Examples include “a person who always work” (subject–verb agreement), “does not able to give” (missing verb form), “my mother always complain” (tense/agreement), and “he regret” (verb form). There are also article and number issues in “a hard-working person” and “the family with their hobbies.” Review agreement and auxiliary verbs, then proofread each sentence for complete, correctly formed clauses. More accurate complex sentences would improve control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.