Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

The working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

It is widely argued that the working week should be reduced to fewer days so that employees can enjoy longer weekends and achieve a better work-life balance. I strongly agree with this statement because longer weekend provides mental peace that helps in improving productivity.

First of all, Weekend is the time that everyone loves the most. This time should be long enough so that people get relaxed. People do so much work on week days it is their need to get long weekend and prepare themselves for the coming week. Moreover, there is a recent research which claims that those workers who come to work after a vacation are more productive than those who do not go for vacation or holidays.

Furthermore, it is evident that better work can be done when you are mentally prepared to do. For example, in my professional career, when i do multiple jobs with no rest time in between them i only do formalities and do not put my extraordinary effort.

On the other hand, it is basic right for everyone to enjoy a weekend. People can become healthy if they do work and rest side by side. There are also various benefits of long weekends. We can spend time with our family members that has now become a basic need in today's world.

In conclusion, employers should give relief to the workers by giving long weekends and there should be a proper management by government.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you strongly agree that a shorter working week would benefit employees. You give relevant reasons, including rest, productivity and time with family, and the personal example about doing several jobs without rest helps illustrate your point. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the research claim is not identified or explained, and the family-time point is asserted rather than supported with a specific example. The response also does not fully explore how reducing working days would produce these benefits or address possible drawbacks. The required minimum length is not met, which limits the opportunity to develop your ideas. Explain each reason more fully and connect it directly to a shorter working week.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, supporting paragraphs and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “First of all,” “Furthermore” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of your argument. However, progression between ideas is sometimes mechanical, and the paragraph beginning “On the other hand” does not present a contrasting view; it adds further benefits of weekends instead. Some links between sentences are also unclear, particularly “People do so much work on week days it is their need to get long weekend,” where the relationship between the ideas needs clearer punctuation or a linking phrase. Organise each body paragraph around one main reason, develop it with explanation or an example, and use transitions that accurately show whether you are adding, contrasting or concluding.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main points, including “work-life balance,” “productivity,” “vacation” and “professional career.” These choices show an attempt to discuss the issue beyond very basic terms. However, the range is limited and several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “mental peace,” “do formalities” and “put my extraordinary effort.” Repetition of “long weekend” and “work” also reduces variety. Some word forms and spelling conventions need attention, including “week days” and the capitalisation of “Weekend.” Aim for more natural collocations and precise terms, such as describing employees as “well-rested” or saying they “complete tasks perfunctorily.” This would make your argument clearer and more fluent without changing its meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “workers who come to work after a vacation” and a conditional structure in “when I do multiple jobs with no rest time.” However, errors occur often enough to make some sentences less clear. For example, “longer weekend provides” needs an article, and “People do so much work on week days it is their need” joins two clauses without suitable punctuation or a conjunction. There are also agreement and sentence-pattern problems in “better work can be done when you are mentally prepared to do.” Capitalise “I” consistently and check sentence boundaries, articles and subject–verb agreement. Building accurate complex sentences around your reasons will improve control as well as range.

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