In the past, most people used to travel to their place of work. With increased use of computers, the internet and smart phones, more and more people are starting to work from home. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?
Sample Response
The way we workin which we work has changed considerablya great deal in recent years. Whilst some people still commute to work each daytravel to their place of work each day, others can work from homehave the option to work from home. This has become possibleThis has all become possible through the development of the internet and smartphonessince the birth of the internet and smartphones, which enable workers to be in constant contact with their colleagues and clients all over the world. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this new development. There are definite advantages to working from homepeople being allowed to work from home. The main advantage is that it gives workers more flexibility in their working lives. This can be particularly useful for parents or people who live far from their workplace. Working from home is also more comfortable - you can take a break whenever you need. Another advantage is that workers have the opportunity to workyou have the possibility to work for companies in other countries onlinethrough the use of the internet. Therefore, people can apply for jobs globally as well as locally. On the other hand, working from home can also have disadvantagesworking from home can also have its disadvantages. Travelling to work and working in an office with others can be a very sociable activity which many people enjoy, especially if they live on their own. Without this social interaction, manyWithout this social interaction many people might feel very lonely. Furthermore, many people may lack sufficient discipline to complete their workcomplete the work they need to do without colleagues around. In conclusion, therefore, there are clearly advantages and disadvantages to working from home. Perhaps the ideal arrangement would be to spend part of the working week in an office with colleagues, and part of the working week at home, with a certain amount of flexibility and comfort.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response covers both advantages and disadvantages clearly, using relevant examples and highly controlled sentence structures throughout. Its main weakness is presentation as one continuous paragraph, which obscures the otherwise logical shift from benefits to drawbacks and conclusion; some points are also explained only briefly. Divide the response into focused paragraphs and extend the consequences of the strongest advantage and disadvantage.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Relevant advantages and disadvantages are clearly identified and supported, though several points remain briefly developed.
Extend one key benefit and one key drawback by explaining their practical consequences in greater depth.
Coherence and Cohesion
The sequence of ideas is logical and cohesive, but the entire response appears as one undivided paragraph.
Use separate introduction, advantages, disadvantages, and conclusion paragraphs to make the progression immediately visible.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, appropriate, and generally natural across the discussion of flexibility, employment, and isolation.
Use more precise topic-specific language to deepen explanations rather than relying on repeated general terms such as advantage and people.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of sentence structures is used accurately and fluently, with very few errors.
Polish occasional punctuation details, especially commas after introductory phrases, while maintaining the existing structural range.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
In the past, most people used to travel to their place of work. With increased use of computers, the internet and smart phones, more and more people are starting to work from home. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.