Band 9 model answer
In numerous economies today, demanding work schedules leave parents and partners with scant time for one another. This gradual erosion of family life has identifiable roots in both culture and economics, and it can be meaningfully mitigated through deliberate action by employers and governments alike.
Several forces conspire to drive excessive working hours. Fiercely competitive labour markets reward those who appear endlessly available, fostering a culture of presenteeism in which simply staying late is mistaken for genuine dedication. Stagnant wages compound the problem, obliging many people to take on second jobs or unpaid overtime merely to cover rising living costs. Digital technology blurs the boundary still further, since smartphones and laptops allow work to intrude on the evenings and weekends that were once carefully protected. Taken together, these pressures steadily crowd out the time families need to be together.
The remedies, however, are well within reach if the political and corporate will exists. Governments can legislate maximum working weeks and enshrine a right to disconnect, as several European countries have already done, shielding employees from relentless after-hours demands. Employers, for their part, can embrace flexible and remote arrangements that let parents attend to their children without sacrificing productivity; mounting evidence suggests such policies often improve, rather than harm, overall output. At the individual level, families can fiercely guard rituals such as shared evening meals, treating them as binding commitments rather than disposable luxuries.
In conclusion, the scarcity of family time arises chiefly from competitive workplace norms, economic necessity and ever-present technology. Addressing it demands a combination of protective legislation, enlightened employer practices and firm personal boundaries. With these safeguards in place, people need not choose between earning a living and nurturing the relationships that give that living its meaning.
Examiner’s notes
- Task Response: causes and measures are each given a dedicated, fully extended paragraph, and the conclusion summarises both halves, directly answering the two-part question.
- Coherence & Cohesion: cohesion is achieved through phrases like 'Together, these pressures' and 'The remedies, however', binding sentences without resorting to formulaic connectors.
- Grammatical Range & Accuracy: varied syntax including the conditional 'if the will exists' and the embedded clause 'evidence suggests such policies often improve' is handled with precision and no error.