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?
Sample Response
Many parts of the world have adopted laws to limit employees' working hourscurb the working hours of workers. This essay will explain whyexpound on why safeguarding workers’ health is the primary aim of introducing working-hour limitsintroducing the Working Hours Limit Act, and I contend that this is a negative development because it harms the economy by creating challenges for small companiesendangers the economy by challenging small companies operating in a competitive market.
The primary reason for limiting the employees' working hoursworking hours of employees is that it safeguards the physical and mental health of employeeshealth of an employee. Excessively long working hoursExcessive hours of work can cause workplacework pressure, and therefore it can lead to stress as well as physical and mental fatigue, which is likely to causedevelop various health issues. By settinglimiting maximum working hours, nations ensure that workers have adequate time to restrelax and unwind, thus promoting overall well-being. A case in point is Australia's Fair Work Act 2009. The act sets standards by establishing provisionsThe act has enforced standards by setting provisions for maximum working hours, ensuring that employees are not required to work excessively long hoursnot subjected to long working hours that could drive them to exhaustion.
However, stricttight restrictions on working hours can pose a seriousreal threat to businessesbusiness and the economy. To commence with, businesses that require non-stop operations, for instance, transportation, healthcare, or emergency services, can face enormous challenges in providing emergency services if working hours are severely limited. Besides, industries operating in a fiercely competitive environment, it is inevitable that some companies will go out of business, resulting in an adverse impact on the economy. By way of illustration, consider a small business trying to establish itself in a cut-throat world of business may face challenges if its founders cannot dedicate adequate time to business due to the severe working hour restrictions of employees.
To conclude, although limiting working hours promotes employees’ health, I think this is a negative development because it could adversely affect the business and the economy.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response answers both questions directly, sustains a clear judgement, and develops its health rationale with a relevant real-world illustration. The main limitation is that the economic argument relies on partly questionable or imprecisely connected examples, while a few malformed sentences interrupt otherwise strong control. The highest-priority improvement is to explain how working-hour limits create specific business costs and support that link with a fully relevant example.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both parts are fully addressed through a clear negative position and developed reasons concerning employee health and economic effects.
Strengthen the negative case by showing more convincingly why staffing limits, rather than weak workforce planning, would harm businesses.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are arranged in a clear sequence, with focused paragraphs and generally effective cohesive links.
Make the progression within the economic paragraph more explicit by connecting each industry example directly to the central claim.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and often precise, with effective language for health, regulation, competition, and economic consequences.
Refine occasional awkward or overstated collocations, such as curb the working hours of workers and tight restrictions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used with good control, despite a few sentence-construction errors in the third paragraph.
Revise sentences beginning with Besides and By way of illustration to remove dangling structures and competing main verbs.
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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
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.