Band 6 IELTS Sample Essay: Remote Work Shorter Week
Reading time: 1 minutes
The Prompt
An increasing number of companies now allow employees to work from home or to follow a shorter working week. Do the advantages of these flexible working arrangements outweigh the disadvantages?
The Essay
Nowadays, many companies are giving their workers the chance to work from home or to reduce their working hours each week. This trend has both positive and negative sides, and in my opinion the advantages are slightly greater than the disadvantages.
Firstly, flexible working can improve the quality of life for employees. When people do not have to travel to an office every day, they save a lot of time and money on transport. This extra time can be used for family activities or hobbies, which makes workers feel more satisfied with their lives. Moreover, some studies show that employees who work from home are often more productive because they have fewer distractions from colleagues. It is well known that a happy worker is a better worker, so companies can also benefit from this arrangement.
However, there are also some disadvantages that should not be ignored. Firstly, working from home can make it difficult for employees to separate their personal and professional lives. Some people find it very much hard to stop working when their home is also their office. In addition, flexible working can reduce the communication between team members, which can make a negative effect on the quality of group projects. Companies may also have difficulty to manage employees who they cannot see in person.
In conclusion, although flexible working arrangements bring some problems, I believe the benefits for both workers and companies are greater. If organisations can do an effort to maintain good communication, the advantages of this modern way of working will outweigh the disadvantages.
Why This Scored Band 6
Task Achievement: 6.5
Your essay addresses the main parts of the prompt appropriately, presenting a clear position that 'the advantages are slightly greater than the disadvantages.' You discuss both sides of the argument with relevant main ideas about quality of life improvements and productivity benefits, as well as work-life balance challenges and communication difficulties. However, your development lacks the precision and depth required for Band 7. The descriptor states Band 7 requires 'main ideas are extended and supported' with minimal over-generalisation, but your supporting points remain somewhat general - for example, 'some studies show that employees who work from home are often more productive' lacks specific detail. Your conclusion appropriately restates your position but doesn't synthesize the arguments effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion: 7
Your essay demonstrates clear overall progression with logical organization across four distinct paragraphs. Information flows coherently from introduction through body paragraphs to conclusion, meeting the Band 7 descriptor of 'information and ideas are logically organised, and there is a clear progression throughout the response.' You use cohesive devices effectively including 'Firstly,' 'Moreover,' 'However,' and 'In addition' to link ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate your introduction, advantages paragraph, disadvantages paragraph, and conclusion. However, some cohesive device usage is slightly mechanical ('Firstly' appears twice), and there are minor lapses such as 'which makes workers feel' where the referencing could be clearer.
Lexical Resource: 6.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task, demonstrating some range with phrases like 'flexible working arrangements,' 'quality of life,' and 'separate their personal and professional lives.' You show awareness of less common vocabulary with 'distractions from colleagues' and 'maintain good communication.' However, there are several errors that prevent a Band 7 score: 'very much hard' (should be 'very hard' or 'much harder'), 'make a negative effect' (should be 'have a negative effect'), 'have difficulty to manage' (should be 'have difficulty managing'), and 'do an effort' (should be 'make an effort'). These collocation errors and word choice issues indicate the resource is adequate but lacks the precision and flexibility of Band 7, which requires 'sufficient flexibility and precision' with 'only a few errors in spelling and/or word formation.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: 6.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms with reasonable accuracy. Complex structures include 'When people do not have to travel to an office every day, they save a lot of time' and 'Some people find it very much hard to stop working when their home is also their office.' However, several grammatical errors prevent Band 7 achievement: 'very much hard' (incorrect intensifier placement), 'make a negative effect' (wrong verb collocation), 'have difficulty to manage' (incorrect verb pattern - should be 'difficulty managing'), and 'do an effort' (wrong verb - should be 'make an effort'). While these errors don't severely impede communication, they occur with sufficient frequency to indicate Band 6.5 rather than Band 7, which requires 'frequent error-free sentences' and only 'a few errors in grammar.'
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