Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-19
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)
It is true that the working week should be shorter and workers should get a longer weekend. I firmly agree with this opinion because short working hours reduce the stress of people and they can enjoy their time with families on weekends.
By working short period, people should have more time to rest at home. This is because they have no work in the office after finishing required time and they can return home as early as possible. A fisherman, for example, may come home early after catching fish from rivers and delivery to market for selling those. While some people can not work short time because of their manager's pressure, others rest in home with their families because of early finish of the works. Short period worker, therefore, can get more time to rest in home and they tend to live a stress-free lives.
People can spend more time with families during a longer weekend. Getting more time on weekends beneficial for them, who like to enjoy the city, park or any nearby shop. For instance, after heavy job period they may enjoy good food from restaurant with their families. Not only do they enjoy time with their family, but they also play with children to satisfy their soul. Consequently, they can spend more time with their parents and families happily because of the longer weekends.
In conclusion, I believe that worker should work for short time in their respective offices and by getting longer weekend they can remain stress-free. Thus, they can also spend their time with families, children and parents going to different sides of country to enjoy every dish, park and other enjoyment facilities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the example of the fisherman is not entirely relevant to the context of a standard 'working week' in an office or corporate setting, which makes the argument feel slightly disconnected. While the main points regarding stress reduction and family time are relevant, they are not fully extended with sophisticated reasoning or nuanced perspectives. The essay meets the requirements of the task but remains at a fairly basic level of argumentation.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'This is because', 'For instance', and 'Consequently' are used to link ideas. However, the flow is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as in the sentence 'Getting more time on weekends beneficial for them, who like to enjoy...'. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the transitions between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall readability and coherence of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There is a reliance on simple phrasing, such as 'short working hours', 'good food', and 'enjoyment facilities'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'satisfy their soul' or 'heavy job period'. While the meaning is always clear and the range is sufficient to communicate the writer's ideas, there is little evidence of less common lexical items or sophisticated collocations that would be expected for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout, such as 'By working short period' (should be 'a short period'), 'they can not work short time' (should be 'short hours'), and 'rest in home' (should be 'at home'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. A greater focus on subject-verb agreement and correct article usage is needed.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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