Band 7 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
Flexible working arrangements, such as remote work and compressed schedules, have become increasingly common in modern workplaces. While there are some drawbacks to these arrangements, I believe the benefits they offer to both employees and employers are greater overall.
The most significant advantage of flexible working is the improvement it brings to employees' work-life balance. When people can work from home or reduce their working days, they spend less time commuting and have more time for family and personal activities. This tends to result in higher job satisfaction and lower stress levels, which in turn can boost productivity. Companies also benefit from this arrangement because they can reduce costs related to office space and utilities. Furthermore, flexible working allows businesses to recruit talented workers who might not be able to commit to a traditional nine-to-five schedule, such as parents with young children or people living in remote areas.
However, there are notable disadvantages that should not be ignored. One concern is that working from home can lead to a sense of isolation, as employees miss the social interaction that an office environment naturally provides. Additionally, some workers may find it difficult to maintain clear boundaries between their professional and personal lives, which can actually increase stress rather than reduce it. There is also the issue of reduced collaboration, since spontaneous discussions and teamwork are harder to achieve when colleagues are not physically present together.
In conclusion, although flexible working arrangements come with certain challenges, the advantages they bring in terms of employee wellbeing and organisational efficiency appear to outweigh the disadvantages. Companies that manage these arrangements carefully are likely to see positive outcomes for both staff and business performance.
Why This Scored Band 7
Task Achievement: 7.5
Your essay demonstrates strong task response by directly addressing the question 'Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?' with a clear position stated in your introduction: 'I believe the benefits they offer to both employees and employers are greater overall.' This aligns with Band 7-8 descriptors requiring 'a clear and well-developed position.' You effectively explore both sides of the argument with relevant main ideas - work-life balance improvements and cost reduction for advantages, isolation and boundary issues for disadvantages. Your conclusion appropriately reinforces your position with 'the advantages they bring in terms of employee wellbeing and organisational efficiency appear to outweigh the disadvantages.' The essay fully addresses all parts of the prompt with well-extended support, though some ideas could be developed with more specific detail to reach Band 8 consistently.
Coherence and Cohesion: 8
Your essay demonstrates excellent coherence and cohesion that aligns with Band 8 descriptors: 'Information and ideas are logically sequenced, and cohesion is well managed.' The four-paragraph structure is clear and appropriate, with smooth progression from introduction through balanced discussion to conclusion. You use sophisticated cohesive devices naturally: 'Furthermore' connects additional benefits, 'However' signals the counterargument effectively, and 'Additionally' extends disadvantages logically. The phrase 'This tends to result in' creates clear cause-effect relationships, while 'In conclusion' appropriately signals your final position. Paragraphing is skilfully managed with each body paragraph maintaining clear focus - paragraph 2 on advantages, paragraph 3 on disadvantages. The sequencing within paragraphs flows logically, and referencing is clear throughout with 'this arrangement' and 'these arrangements' providing effective substitution.
Lexical Resource: 7.5
Your lexical resource demonstrates Band 7-8 quality with 'a wide resource fluently and flexibly used to convey precise meanings.' You employ sophisticated vocabulary naturally: 'compressed schedules,' 'work-life balance,' 'spontaneous discussions,' and 'organisational efficiency' show strong collocational awareness. Less common items like 'spontaneous,' 'isolation,' and 'utilities' are used appropriately. The phrase 'tends to result in' demonstrates sophisticated cause-effect expression, while 'notable disadvantages' and 'reduced collaboration' show precise word choice. Your vocabulary range allows flexibility with expressions like 'commit to a traditional nine-to-five schedule' and 'maintain clear boundaries between their professional and personal lives.' Minor improvements could include varying expressions like 'flexible working' (used 4 times) with alternatives such as 'these arrangements' or 'remote work options' more consistently, and replacing the slightly informal 'miss' with 'lack' in academic writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: 7.5
Your essay demonstrates strong grammatical range and accuracy consistent with Band 7-8: 'A wide range of structures is flexibly and accurately used.' You confidently employ complex structures: 'When people can work from home or reduce their working days, they spend less time commuting' (adverbial clause), 'which in turn can boost productivity' (relative clause), and 'since spontaneous discussions and teamwork are harder to achieve when colleagues are not physically present together' (multiple subordination). The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is well managed throughout. You use present simple appropriately for general statements, modal verbs correctly ('can lead to,' 'may find'), and conditional structures accurately. Sentence variety is evident with both simple statements ('This tends to result in higher job satisfaction') and complex constructions. All grammatical choices are appropriate and natural, with no errors that impede communication.
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