Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-31

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)

Nowadays people need to work more in order to live a normal life as everything is super expensive and cost an arm and a leg, however they need also a time to do their leisure activity, both situations has advantages and disadvantages, and am going to explain it today.

working long hours is the fad now to earn more money in order to compensate the needs of you and your family, however people working longer hours complains of health problem such as heart disease, anexiety, legs problems and hemorroids because the spent long time standing or sitting. Also there will be no enought time for the family and friends.

At the opposite side people working less hours are having more time to spent with their family , doing their activities and hobbies and to take care of their families specialy if they have children, but these may not be able to survive because working less hour is not always but usually will get less amount of money which will not be enough to handle all the expenses and all these but the people in a difficult situation, and they have to deside either to have money or time but not both, unless if they have their own business.

The situation of working long hours if we rely on what i mentioned above has more disadvantage in my opinion, and the person has to sacrifies his peace and social life in order to meet the minimum need of him and his family.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the question and state a clear view in the final paragraph: long working hours have more disadvantages. Relevant points include possible health effects and reduced time with family, while the comparison notes that shorter hours can mean less income. However, the position is not consistently clear at the start, where you say both situations have advantages and disadvantages without indicating which side is stronger. The ideas are also mostly listed rather than explained: for example, the health problems are named, but their impact on workers’ lives is not developed, and the exception about owning a business is not connected to your main argument. Make your position explicit in the introduction and support each main point with a specific explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to the effects of long hours, then shorter hours, and finally your opinion. This gives the reader a general sense of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in the long third paragraph, where the contrast between free time, income, expenses, and owning a business becomes tangled. Linking phrases such as “however” and “At the opposite side” are used, but some connections are awkward or do not clearly show the relationship between ideas. Use shorter, more focused paragraphs and organise each around one central point. Clear topic sentences and more precise links between cause and consequence would make the argument easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “leisure activity,” “health problem,” “expenses,” and “social life,” and phrases such as “cost an arm and a leg” show an attempt to use idiomatic language. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate or too informal for this essay, including “the fad now,” “legs problems,” and “handle all the expenses.” Spelling errors such as “anexiety,” “enought,” and “deside” are noticeable and reduce precision. Aim for more accurate topic-specific expressions and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe the financial pressure as a “rising cost of living,” and refer to “musculoskeletal problems” rather than the vague “legs problems.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, especially through clauses joined with “however,” “because,” and “unless.” These attempts show some range, but complex sentences are often difficult to control, and errors occur frequently. Examples include “both situations has,” “people … complains,” and “there will be no enought time,” where agreement or sentence construction is faulty. Articles and infinitive patterns also need attention, as in “a time” and “more time to spent.” Several sentences run on, particularly the third paragraph, making relationships between clauses unclear. Practise building accurate sentences with one main idea at a time, then add subordinate clauses; check subject–verb agreement, articles, and verb forms during revision.

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