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)

Individuals in working class believe that weekends should be extended and working days should be cut down. I disagree with the statement because it will cause people to get lazy and it will affect the economy severely.

A country is run by its skilled workers because they build up the economy. If an increase is seen in weekend holidays consequently it will lead to less work being done affecting business and other areas which will in turn also affect the working class salaries. Schools in Punjab only give one holiday per week leading to better education quality for students.

Weekend helps us refresh our mind and body so we can work throughout week without exhaustion but when we increase rest days it will lead to humans becoming sloth. The brain and body works how you train it, and if left unused for long period of time, the ability to think will reduce.

Many people stand by the stance that weekends should be longer so that people can fully recharge and be capable of the tasks needed to be done. Longer rest days will allow them to cater to their personal matters due to which there mind will not be worried about other tasks during work. More weekend holidays allow people to go to family trips easily.

In conclusion, different people have different views on the matter of longer weekends but I think the downside of having longer weekend are more in contrast of the two weekend days because it not only affects individually but it affects the whole country.

AI examiner evaluation

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. For instance, the argument that longer weekends lead to 'sloth' is a generalization that lacks nuance or supporting evidence. While the mention of schools in Punjab is a specific example, its relevance to the broader economic argument is not fully explained. The essay covers the main points, but the reasoning could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band. The conclusion effectively summarizes the stance, but the overall depth of the analysis remains at a basic level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'consequently', 'in turn', and 'in conclusion', which help the flow of ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the relationship between sentences could be smoother. For example, the shift between the second and third paragraphs is a bit abrupt. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression within paragraphs could be improved by better linking the supporting points to the main arguments to ensure a more cohesive argument structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their opinions clearly. There is an attempt to use some less common vocabulary, such as 'exhaustion' and 'sloth', though 'sloth' is perhaps used slightly inaccurately in this context. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'Individuals in working class' (should be 'the working class') and 'in contrast of the two' (should be 'in contrast to'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

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, such as missing articles ('in working class', 'throughout week'), subject-verb agreement issues ('brain and body works'), and punctuation errors. These errors do not typically impede communication, but they are noticeable. To improve, the writer should focus on article usage and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with greater accuracy. The control of grammar is sufficient for a 6.0, but the frequency of errors prevents a higher score.

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

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