Some countries have introduced laws to limit working hours for employees. Why are these laws introduced? Do you think it is a positive or a negative development?

Same questionCompare 4 different answers (Band 7–8)

Sample Response

1

There has been a drastic increase in working hours in many countries and employees have been pushed to work harder and longer without any additional compensation beyond their wagesadditional incentives than their wages. Therefore, many countries have passed new laws to regulate and standardise working hourscontrol and legitimate working hours. I believe that it will send a positive message to workers lifting their morale and dedication towards work, and should be considered a positive development.

2

There are numerous examples around the world ofnumerous examples, all around the world, where companies are making their employees work beyond normal working hourslonger than normal duty hours. This has led to severe problems, including immense pressure on employeessevere problems including employees feeling immense pressure from their employers to meet targets and deadlines. This is one of the main reasons whypivotal reasons that employees are more susceptible to illness and stress. Therefore, some legislation is required to curb this practiceto curb that, and new laws restricting working hoursthose new laws that restrict working hours aim to achieveare aimed to achieve exactly that.

3

Overall, thisit is a positive development and those laws have already proved immensely beneficialproved that they are immensely beneficial. Newly introduced rules have substantial effectsimpacts on workers' performance and health. Employees covered by these rulesThese employees have become more responsible and productive. The quality of theirthe work has also improved since these rules were appliedincreased after applying these rules. In addition to this, people’s healthpeople's health conditions have significantly improved. Now they have more time to spend with their family which helped them tremendously mitigate their stress and tensions.

4

To conclude, I believe that longer working hours have detrimental effects on employees' physical and psychological health and social life. New laws that limit working hours will bring several changes to their lifestyleschanges in their lifestyle that willwould lead them towards a better and more successful professional and social life.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response directly explains that working-hour limits protect employees from excessive pressure, illness, and damage to family life, and it consistently presents the laws as beneficial for health, morale, and productivity. Its main limitation is that several claimed outcomes are asserted without concrete support, while some phrasing is awkward. The highest-priority improvement is to develop one realistic workplace example that demonstrates how regulated hours improve both employee welfare and performance.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TR

Task Response

7.0
Scoring rule

Both questions are fully answered with a clear positive judgement and relevant reasons, although evidence for the claimed benefits remains general.

Next step

Use a specific example to show how limiting overtime reduces stress or errors while preserving productivity.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0
Scoring rule

The essay progresses logically from the reasons for legislation to its positive effects and a consistent conclusion, with focused paragraphs.

Next step

Avoid beginning the third paragraph with Overall because the full conclusion comes later; use a topic sentence about benefits instead.

LR

Lexical Resource

6.5
Scoring rule

There is sufficient range for employment, health, and productivity, but several collocations and word choices are unnatural.

Next step

Use natural expressions such as regulate working hours, improve morale, standard hours, reduce stress, and employee well-being.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.5
Scoring rule

A variety of sentence structures conveys meaning clearly, though tense consistency, article use, pronoun reference, and clause construction show recurring slips.

Next step

Keep time references consistent and check agreement in phrases involving employees, their families, and the effects of legislation.

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IELTS Writing Task 2

Some countries have introduced laws to limit working hours for employees. Why are these laws introduced? Do you think it is a positive or a negative development?

Your response

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