Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-10

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)

The working week should be reduced and employees should have a extended weekend. I completely disagree with this point of view.

On the one hand a shorter working is bad for the economy and companies. Firstly, when employees work for fewer days the production factories and companies decrease. As a results companies will earn less money and it effects on countries economy. Secondly, many importance services like hospital, police and transport need workers for seven days. If workers get a longer weekend these services will stop and people will face many problems. For example if doctor and nurses do not work patient will suffer alot.

On the other hand, a longer weekend is also bad for the workers themselves. Firstly, if workers work less, companies will pay less salaries. As a result, workers will have money problems and they will not be able to fulfill the needs of their families. Secondly, when people get too much free time, they became lazy and waste their times in useless activities like watching tv and using mobiles. Moreover, students and young workers need more work to learn new skills and get experiance. if they work less, they will not become successful in their life.

In conclusion, I strongly disagree that the working week should be shorter. It is bad for the economy, companies and workers themselves. Therefore, workers should work full week to make their future better.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear from the introduction (“I completely disagree”) and maintained in the conclusion. You give relevant reasons about economic output, essential services, workers’ income and use of free time, with a brief example involving doctors and nurses. However, several points are asserted rather than explained: for instance, you say that fewer working days would reduce production, but do not consider how productivity or staffing arrangements might affect this. The claim that free time makes people “lazy” also needs support or qualification. The response is below the required 250 words, so some ideas remain insufficiently developed. To strengthen the response, explain each main reason with a specific example and address the issue of a longer weekend more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting reasons, and a conclusion. The contrast between “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” together with “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “In conclusion,” helps readers follow the main points. The progression within each paragraph is generally understandable, especially where a reason is followed by a consequence. However, the repeated listing pattern makes the argument somewhat mechanical, and some links between claims are abrupt. For example, the move from workers’ free time to students and young workers needing more work is not fully explained. Develop smoother connections by showing how each example supports the paragraph’s central point, and use referencing more precisely to avoid repeating “workers” and “people.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main argument, including “production,” “essential services,” “salaries,” and “skills.” Some phrases also show an attempt to express consequences, such as “face many problems” and “fulfill the needs of their families.” However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors reduce precision: “a shorter working,” “effects on countries economy,” “importance services,” and “experiance” are examples. Repetition of “workers,” “work,” and “bad” also makes the response less varied. Aim to learn common academic collocations and use more precise terms, such as “economic output” or “financial difficulties,” while checking spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use mostly straightforward sentence patterns, with some attempts to connect ideas through clauses such as “when employees work for fewer days” and “if workers get a longer weekend.” This gives the response some structural variety, and the overall meaning is usually clear. However, errors occur in basic sentence construction and agreement, including “a extended weekend,” “As a results,” “it effects on,” and “they became lazy.” Articles, plurals, and punctuation also need attention; for example, “if doctor and nurses” lacks appropriate plural forms, and several sentences begin with lowercase “if.” These errors sometimes make the reader pause. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then build more complex ones while checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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