Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-22

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)

Some people believe a working week which is shorter is more beneficial rather than a longer weekend and some oppose this statement. I completely disagree with this point of view of a shorter weekend. And I have some reasons which I will discuss in the next paragraphs.

One of the main reasons in favour of a longer weekend is that the world of today is quite fast and the days are just going in no time. People have little time for their family and friends, which causes problems in their domestic life. If I look around myself, I have many family members who have problems with their wives because they are not giving much time due to their busy schedule and they just have one holiday in a week. This is why I prefer to have more holidays in a week. Relationships are one of the most important things in human life, and just due to work and professional life, they are in danger.

Another thing is that having more relaxing days helps workers maintain a good and healthy life. Due to overwork, pressure develops in the office, such as pressure to complete different tasks, and when someone does this for 6 days in a week, it can affect their mental state. Because work, work and work is not the greatest of things. This proverb is good in listening, but practically it is not beneficial for humans. As humans need rest, peace of mind, time for their families, and good health.

In short, my opinion is to give at least two vacation holidays in every sector, whether someone is a Prime Minister or a factory worker. Moreover, a full week's pay should not be reduced due to extra vacation because it works perfectly for workers' relationships and mental health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position in favor of a shorter working week. The ideas are relevant, focusing on family relationships and mental health. However, the development is somewhat limited; the arguments rely heavily on personal anecdotes rather than broader societal or economic analysis. While the position is consistent, the conclusion introduces a new point about salary, which is slightly underdeveloped. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the implications of your arguments with more sophisticated reasoning or broader examples, ensuring that all points are fully explored within the body paragraphs rather than adding new ideas in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'One of the main reasons', 'Another thing is', and 'In short', which help guide the reader. However, the transition between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing could be more varied. For instance, the opening paragraph is slightly repetitive in its phrasing. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'domestic life', 'professional life', and 'mental state'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'work, work and work' and 'good and healthy life'. To improve, you should aim to incorporate more precise collocations and less common lexical items. For example, instead of 'good and healthy life', you could use 'work-life balance' or 'psychological well-being'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'a working week which is shorter is more beneficial rather than a longer weekend' (awkward comparison) and 'This proverb is good in listening' (incorrect collocation). There are also minor punctuation and phrasing issues throughout. To achieve a higher score, you need to increase the frequency of error-free complex sentences and pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and natural phrasing. Focusing on proofreading for these small errors will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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