Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-23

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 6.5)

in recent years, there has been growing debate about whether the working week should be reduced and employees should be given a longer weekend. i strongly agree with this idea because a shorter week should be improved workers well being and at the same time enhance their productivity.

Firstly, working for fewer hours can significantly improve employees physical and mental health. long working hours often lead stress, exhaustion and a poor work life balance. With an extended weekend workers would have more time for rest, spend more quality time with family and pursue personal interests.

Consequently, they could return to work feeling refreshed and mentally prepared. For example, employees who have sufficient time to recover from workplace pressure are generally less likely to suffer from burnout.

Furthermore a short working week could actually increase productivity rather than reduce it, When employees are well rested, they tend to concentrate better and complete their responsibilities more efficiently. In contrast, excessive working hours can result in fatigue, which may cause mistakes and reduce the quality of work. Several companies that have reported improved employees satisfaction and productivity.

However some businesses may initially face difficulties because reducing working hours could increase operational costs or require better time management. Nevertheless these challenges ca be addressed by adopting flexible schedules, improving workplace efficiency and focusing on results rather than the number of hours spent at work.

In conclusion i firmly believe that a shorter working week and a longer weekend would benefit both employees and employers. It could create healthier , happier and more productive workplace while promoting a better balance between professional and personal.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position in the introduction and maintaining it throughout. The ideas regarding physical/mental health and productivity are relevant and logically extended. However, the development is slightly uneven; while the first body paragraph is well-supported, the second paragraph relies on a vague reference to 'several companies' without specific detail. To reach a higher band, the student should provide more concrete examples or deeper analysis of the counter-arguments mentioned in the third paragraph. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body points, counter-argument, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', 'In contrast', and 'Nevertheless' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, there are minor issues with punctuation and capitalization (e.g., 'Furthermore a short...', 'However some businesses...'), which occasionally make the flow feel slightly mechanical. Despite these minor lapses, the overall structure is clear and the logical flow is maintained throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses topic-specific terms like 'work-life balance', 'burnout', 'operational costs', and 'flexible schedules' effectively. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'should be improved workers well being' (should improve workers' well-being) and 'improved employees satisfaction' (improved employee satisfaction). While the range is adequate to convey ideas clearly, the student could incorporate more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions to demonstrate a wider, more flexible range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is a good attempt at using complex sentences, such as 'When employees are well rested, they tend to concentrate better...'. However, there are several grammatical errors, including missing possessive apostrophes ('workers well being', 'employees physical'), missing articles, and punctuation errors (e.g., 'However some businesses...'). Additionally, there are minor slips like 'ca be addressed' instead of 'can be addressed'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score in this criterion.

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