Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-10

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)

I disagree because if people’s longer weekend While the idea of a shorter working week and a three-day weekend sounds appealing, I completely disagree with the view that this should become the standard model for all workplaces. Implementing such a policy across the board would create severe economic, operational, and financial challenges.

First and foremost, a shorter working week can lead to major operational disruption and increased costs for businesses, particularly in labor-intensive sectors. Industries such as healthcare, emergency services, logistics, retail, and manufacturing operate on a continuous schedule. If working hours are reduced without cutting pay, companies must hire additional staff to cover the remaining days, raising payroll costs significantly. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with tight profit margins, these added expenses could lead to financial instability, staff layoffs, or higher prices for consumers.

Furthermore, reducing workdays does not automatically guarantee higher productivity for every type of job. While project-based or creative roles might adapt well to compressed schedules, daily service-oriented jobs depend directly on hours worked. Forcing five days' worth of heavy workloads into four days can actually increase workplace pressure, forcing employees to work at an unsustainable pace, which ultimately leads to higher stress and burnout rather than well-being.

Finally, a mandatory reduction in working hours could result in lower earnings for hourly wage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response presents a clear position against the proposal and provides relevant arguments regarding economic impact and productivity. However, the essay is incomplete, ending abruptly mid-sentence in the final paragraph. Furthermore, the word count is 218 words, which is below the 250-word minimum requirement. Because the response is unfinished and fails to meet the length requirement, the development of ideas is curtailed, and the conclusion is missing. This significantly impacts the overall task achievement, as the argument is not fully rounded off.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphs are used to separate distinct points, such as operational costs and productivity concerns. Cohesive devices like 'First and foremost', 'Furthermore', and 'Finally' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, the abrupt ending disrupts the overall flow and coherence of the piece. While the internal structure of the paragraphs is sound, the failure to complete the essay prevents it from achieving a higher score for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and precise for the topic. Phrases such as 'labor-intensive sectors', 'continuous schedule', 'profit margins', and 'service-oriented jobs' demonstrate a good range of topic-specific language. There is an attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary, which is largely successful. However, the incomplete nature of the final sentence limits the range of vocabulary that could have been demonstrated. Overall, the lexical control is solid, but the unfinished state of the writing prevents a higher evaluation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional 'If working hours are reduced... companies must hire...' and the concessive 'While project-based or creative roles might adapt...'. There is a grammatical error in the opening sentence ('I disagree because if people’s longer weekend While...'), which suggests a drafting issue. Aside from this, the grammar is generally accurate, and punctuation is handled well within the completed sections. The unfinished final sentence is a significant grammatical error that impedes the completion of the thought.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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