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)

A number of people believe that the work week should be reduced and employees should be given an extended weekend. I completely disagree with this point of view.

On the one hand, a shorter working week is bad for the economy and companies. Firstly, when workers work for a fewer days, the production of factories and companies will decrease. As a result, companies will earn less money and it effects on country's economy. Secondly, many important services like hospitals, police and transport need workers for 7 days. If workers get a longer weekend, these services will stop and people will face many problems. For example, if doctors and nurses do not work, patients 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 experience. 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 to the conclusion, and you give several relevant reasons for opposing a shorter working week, including effects on production, essential services, workers’ income and experience. However, the response is under the required minimum: it contains 245 words, five short of 250. More importantly, several claims are asserted rather than explained. For instance, saying that a longer weekend would make people “lazy” is a broad generalisation, and the point about students and young workers is not clearly connected to the proposed working week. Develop fewer arguments with specific explanation or an example, and acknowledge that work schedules could be organised to keep essential services operating.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body sections, an additional point and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “As a result” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument, and the main position remains consistent. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical because many points follow the same list-like pattern. The paragraph beginning “Moreover” introduces students and young workers without developing or linking that idea clearly to the preceding discussion. Group related arguments into focused paragraphs and use clearer links between claims and their consequences. For example, explain how reduced hours would affect training or experience, rather than adding this as a brief, separate assertion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including “production,” “essential services,” “extended weekend” and “experience.” The meaning is generally understandable, but the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or informal. Examples include “it effects on country's economy,” “less salaries,” “fulfill the needs,” “waste their times” and “alot.” These choices make parts of the argument sound less natural and precise. Build a more accurate range for discussing economic and workplace effects, and check spelling and word forms. Replacing broad expressions such as “useless activities” with more specific descriptions would also make your reasoning more measured and convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some complex forms, including conditional structures such as “If workers get a longer weekend, these services will stop” and cause-and-effect sentences beginning “As a result.” This gives the response some structural variety, and the overall meaning is usually clear. However, there are recurring errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction. For example, “they became lazy” should use a form consistent with the general condition, while “it effects on country's economy” has an incorrect verb pattern and missing article. “When workers work for a fewer days” also has an incorrect determiner construction. Review these patterns and proofread each sentence for agreement and articles; more accurate complex sentences would strengthen the response.

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