Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

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.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response is significantly under the required word count of 250 words, reaching only 162 words. This failure to meet the minimum length requirement severely impacts the development of ideas. While you clearly state your position and provide relevant arguments regarding operational disruption and economic costs, the essay remains incomplete. You have not provided a conclusion or a full exploration of the topic, which prevents you from fully addressing all parts of the task. To improve, you must expand your arguments with more detailed examples and ensure you provide a full introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion to meet the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay shows a logical progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices effectively, such as 'First and foremost' and 'Furthermore', to link your points. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction from the body paragraphs. However, because the essay is incomplete and lacks a conclusion, the overall structure feels unfinished. The flow is clear, but the lack of development makes the cohesion feel somewhat abrupt. To reach a higher band, ensure that your ideas are fully developed and that the essay has a clear, cohesive structure from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task. Phrases such as 'operational disruption', 'labor-intensive sectors', and 'financial instability' are used accurately and show a good command of topic-specific language. There are no significant spelling or word-choice errors. While the range is adequate, it could be further expanded by using more sophisticated collocations or less common lexical items to demonstrate greater flexibility. Overall, your vocabulary is precise and contributes well to the clarity of your arguments.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

Your grammatical control is strong. You use a mix of complex sentence structures, such as the conditional 'If working hours are reduced without cutting pay, companies must hire...' and the concessive 'While project-based or creative roles might adapt well...'. The sentences are largely error-free, and your punctuation is accurate. The range of structures is sufficient for the task, and there are no errors that impede communication. To improve further, you could incorporate a wider variety of complex structures, such as passive voice or inversion, to demonstrate even greater grammatical flexibility.

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

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