Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

It is sometimes argued that working period should be reduced for workers and weekend should be extended. Longer off period from jobs provides staff with opportunity to rest adequately and bond with their families. Although, some says that this often leads low productivity. I strongly agree that weekends should be extended from two days to three days.

On the one hand, some people believe that working days should not be reduced because it adversely affect work flow. It leads to less productivity among staff. Majority of work will spill over to the next week if work days are shorter and many jobs will be left undone. They believe work days should remain five days and two days weekend. However, if work is properly followed up there would not be lapses.

On the other hand, when the time spent at work is reduced employees will have more time to rest at home and engage in other activities and this in turn helps their physical and mental health and facilitate them to work effectively. This also gives an avenue for parents to bond more with their children. For instance, in Lagos state many parents who work on the Island hardly see their children because of disparity in the work-life balance. When work off is increased they will have more time to bond and look after their children and this leads to a better society because lesser work period most times leads to better parenting. I am convinced that having longer weekend is beneficial to the individual's health and the society at large.

In conclusion, although some says having more day off from work reduces productivity, this does not overturn the effect longer day off have on the health and its contribution to good parenting in the community. In my view, shorter working week and longer weekend is the best for employees.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction—“I strongly agree”—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address both the concern about reduced productivity and the benefits of longer weekends, including rest, health and family relationships. The Lagos example gives the parenting point a relevant local context. This meets the task well, but the support is uneven: the productivity argument is asserted rather than illustrated, and “if work is properly followed up there would not be lapses” does not explain how a shorter week would preserve output. The health and parenting benefits are more developed, though some claims, such as a “better society,” remain broad. To strengthen the response, explain the practical conditions or evidence behind your claims and develop the counterargument more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, contrasting body paragraphs and a conclusion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” make the shift between opposing views easy to follow, while the final paragraph restates your position. The progression within the second body paragraph is also generally logical, moving from rest to health and then family life. However, some links are mechanical, and the first body paragraph’s final sentence—“However, if work is properly followed up”—does not clearly show how it answers the productivity concern. References such as “this” and “it” can also be vague when several possible ideas precede them. Use more precise links between claims and explanations, and make each paragraph’s internal progression explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range to discuss work and family life, including “productivity,” “work-life balance,” “physical and mental health” and “bond.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the Lagos example adds specificity. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “adversely affect” and “beneficial.” However, some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, including “working period,” “work off,” “disparity in the work-life balance” and “longer day off.” “Lesser work period” is also an awkward way to describe a shorter working week. These choices do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Build accuracy by learning common collocations for working hours, time off and work-life balance, and check whether each phrase fits its context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in “Although, some says…” and a conditional structure in “if work is properly followed up there would not be lapses.” Most ideas remain understandable, and the longer sentences help connect related points. Some grammatical errors persist, however. In “some says,” the subject and verb do not agree; “it adversely affect” also needs agreement. Articles and plurals are inconsistent in phrases such as “weekend should be extended” and “having more day off.” The opening “Although” is incorrectly punctuated as a separate sentence element, and the conditional sentence would benefit from clearer punctuation. Review subject–verb agreement, article use and sentence punctuation, then proofread longer sentences for accuracy.

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