Business Travel · Advantages for Companies and Problems for Family Life
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 337 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 40 minutes. Write at least 250 words.
Many people now travel internationally for work as a regular part of their job. What are the advantages of business travel for companies and employees? What problems might frequent business travel cause for family life? Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01Answer BOTH questions explicitly — give each its own clearly signposted body paragraph
- 02Devote roughly equal space to advantages and to problems for family life — do not let one dominate
- 03Within each paragraph, address both sides of the question — for advantages, cover companies AND employees
- 04Use concrete examples (factory audits, bedtime routines, time-zone calls) rather than abstract claims
- 05Use precise discourse markers: 'For companies', 'For employees', 'Most obviously', 'Over time'
- 06End with a conclusion that briefly addresses BOTH halves of the prompt
Model answer
337 words in 4 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
Despite the rise of video conferencing, millions of professionals still spend a significant share of their working lives boarding planes for meetings, conferences, and client visits. This essay considers what companies and employees gain from international business travel and the problems that frequent absence can create at home.
The advantages of business travel are substantial for both sides. For companies, face-to-face meetings remain the most effective way to win new clients, close complex deals, and audit overseas suppliers. A consultant who flies out to inspect a factory in person spots problems that no video call could detect, and an account manager who shares a meal with a client builds trust that years of emails cannot replicate. International travel also allows firms to deploy expertise across borders, sending specialists wherever they are most needed. For employees, the benefits are equally real. Frequent travellers develop cultural awareness, build international networks, and acquire skills — negotiation, adaptability, languages — that strongly accelerate their careers. Travel-heavy roles also tend to be paid better, and the airline status, hotel points, and exposure to new cities are perks that many staff actively enjoy.
However, frequent business travel can place serious strain on family life. Most obviously, a parent who is away three nights a week misses bedtime stories, school events, and weekend routines that simply cannot be made up later. The partner who stays behind effectively carries the household alone, including school runs, illnesses, and emotional labour, which can breed quiet resentment over time. Time-zone differences compound the problem: calling home from Tokyo or Sao Paulo is often impossible at any sensible hour for the children. Even when the travelling parent returns, they are frequently jet-lagged, drained, and emotionally absent rather than fully present. Over years, these absences can weaken the parent-child bond and put marriages under measurable stress.
In conclusion, while international business travel offers clear gains in revenue, expertise, and career development, its cumulative cost to family relationships should not be underestimated, and companies have an interest in moderating it where they can.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 69 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
46 more than the median answer for this task type
7 words at the shortest, 38 at the longest
2 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 21.1 words and vary by 8.2 words either side of that, running from 7 words to 38. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 8 of the 16 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
4 in total, spread across 2 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
however, despite, while
in conclusion
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 87 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 79 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 5 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Response
Fully answer both direct questions: the advantages of business travel for companies and employees, AND the problems it can cause for family life, with adequate development.
Coherence & Cohesion
Use a clear four-paragraph structure that devotes a body paragraph to each question, with strong topic sentences and linking.
Lexical Resource
Use precise vocabulary for international business, careers, and family relationships.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use a range of complex structures including conditionals, concessive clauses, and present perfect for ongoing effects.
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