Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-10

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Many working people get little or no exercise either during the working day or in their free time, and have health problems as a result.

Why do many working people not get enough exercise?

What can be done about this problem?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

It is widely seen presently that many professionals get less or zero exercise during their work hours or in their leisure time. This results in severe health issues for individuals. One of the major reasons of this is because of work pressure, lack of motivation and poor work-life balance. This essay will shed light on these aspects in the following paragraphs.

Firstly, many people now a days are working under high pressure. World Health Organization (WHO) has published an article about a similar cause for mental and physical health issues which is lack of exercise. Workers are trying to meet deadlines every day, trying to get work done beyond their abilities. This tires them abundantly and as a result they have no energy left to exercise. Additionally, due to delayed and extra work at offices, people take their tasks to home. So there is no time left to even ponder about exercise when they get out of offices. Obesity is the leading disease in Saudi Arabia. People spend all their work hours sitting comfortably in front of the screen with lack of motivation. They get used to this routine so even walking becomes a difficult chore for them. This comfort reflects their declining will power to work on themselves. They do not prioritize exercise and spend all their extra time on other daily tasks.

If individuals realize the need and importance of exercise in their life, then they can eliminate a great deal of physical and mental health issues. This can be done by applying good time management strategies to have a good work-life balance. Moreover, whenever you join a new job, have clear and achievable work hours and tasks. In this way, workers would have a definite time period each day to go either to the gym to exercise or do home workouts. In western countries, many people either walk or cycle to their offices. This is a great way to make yourself enthusiastic for the day as it saves time and energy. Moreover, planning daily tasks for entire week on weekends in-advance can also leave some room for physical movement during the week days.

In conclusion, having strong determination and self-realization is the key to exercise whether during work hours or free time. Workers are spending their days in a same rigid routine, not allowing themselves to make time. Once individuals start working on their short comings, they can ace their health problems and live a healthy life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the lack of exercise and potential solutions. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. For instance, the discussion on work pressure and the suggestion of better time management are clear and logical. However, some points could be extended further to reach a higher band; for example, the mention of Saudi Arabia is a good specific example, but the link between 'comfort' and 'declining willpower' could be more explicitly connected to the lack of exercise. Overall, the position is clear throughout, and the response fulfills all requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Additionally', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the progression is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the use of referencing could be more sophisticated. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the causes from the solutions, which helps the reader follow the development of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey ideas with precision. There is an attempt to use less common items such as 'ponder', 'enthusiastic', and 'rigid routine'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'ace their health problems' (which is informal/incorrect in this context) and 'tires them abundantly' (which is an unnatural collocation). Despite these minor slips, the range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, and the meaning is always clear to the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several error-free sentences, particularly in the body paragraphs. However, there are persistent minor errors, such as 'many people now a days' (should be 'nowadays'), 'in a same rigid routine' (should be 'in the same'), and 'in-advance' (hyphenation error). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, the student should focus on article usage and refining complex sentence structures to ensure they are consistently accurate.

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

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