Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-14

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)

Nowadays, there is an ongoing debate on duration of a working week and weekend for workers. Some people think that they should have longer weekends and fewer working days, while others argue that it would negatively impact productivity and financial outcomes. I strongly believe that there should be a shorter working week and longer weekends.

Firstly, shorter working week will allow individuals to spend a quality time with their family members such as, they can go for tour and trips and hangout with friends. It will provide them mental relaxation and lead to more productive performance. However, constant working days will make them feel exhausted and depressed because their hectic schedule do not allow them to vent out and discuss their issues, which could ultimately impact their work efficiency. Secondly, people can use their longer weekends for pursuing their hobbies like cooking, painting, and reading books. It will give them pleasure as well as satisfaction and make them feel motivated and confident. In this way, they will be recharged and more energetic for their future tasks.

In contrast, advocates of longer working weeks and shorter weekends argue that it will distract them from their work and will result in less output. For example, if a company was completing 100 orders per week, will take more time for completion of that task. Consequently, there will be a reduction in revenue generation. However, I believe that people having longer weekends will be more productive and will be able to complete more orders in a day, leading to a greater number of products at the end of week.

In conclusion, although shorter working weeks will reduce number of working hours, but it will increase productivity as workers will work with mental satisfaction that could lead to positive long term effects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding family time, mental health, and productivity are relevant and extended. However, the development is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the second and third paragraphs, where the focus on 'productivity' is revisited without adding significant new depth. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported idea rather than restating the same point in different ways. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main argument, though it could be more concise.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'In contrast', and 'Consequently' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as in the sentence 'if a company was completing 100 orders per week, will take more time'. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is generally clear, though the link between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'financial outcomes', 'revenue generation', and 'mental satisfaction'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in collocation and word choice, such as 'go for tour and trips' (should be 'go on trips') and 'vent out' (which is informal). To improve, the student should focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding informal phrasal verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('a quality time', 'a shorter working week') and subject-verb agreement ('their hectic schedule do not allow'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that hinder the flow. The student demonstrates an ability to construct complex sentences, but these are often marred by minor errors. Increasing the accuracy of basic grammar and refining complex sentence construction will help elevate the score.

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