Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-27
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)
The week with short weekdays and a long weekend for the workforce. Although majority of the companies have a short weekend, I agree with the idea of having a long weekend can bring much more quality of work and productivity in every sector of the employment. The companies and employees can both benefit in terms of growth and revenue.
I feel companies should start allowing the employees to take an extra off or propose a plan with a three-day weekend instead of the regular weekend culture. This will help everyone to foster work life balance which in turn can improve their performance and quality of work. For example, by taking an extra off every week will help the employees to ease out their stress by spending more time with family, friends or pursuing their passions on weekends. Such kind of relaxation will help the workers to focus sharply at work and perform well.
Shorter weekdays plan will help the employees to be more enthusiastic, with clear mind and focus comes better ideas thus achieving the organizational goals. Having a long weekday at work will make the employees look forward to the weekend ahead that might not allow them to concentrate fully and work efficiently. For instance, working on Fridays actually doesn't help the company benefit much because most of the employees would already be in the weekend mode and in a hurry
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The essay addresses the prompt by expressing a clear position in favor of a shorter working week. However, the response is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the argument. While the ideas regarding productivity and work-life balance are relevant, they are not fully developed or supported with specific, concrete examples. The essay lacks a formal conclusion, which is a key component of a balanced academic response. To improve, you must expand on your points with more detailed explanations and ensure you meet the word count to allow for a more comprehensive exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Some sentences are fragmented or lack clear logical links, such as the opening sentence, which is a noun phrase rather than a complete sentence. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence will help improve the flow and coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision expected at higher bands. You rely on somewhat repetitive phrasing, such as 'quality of work' and 'employees'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'ease out their stress' and 'shorter weekdays plan'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to the workplace and productivity, and ensure that your word choices are natural and contextually appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For instance, the first sentence is a fragment. There are also issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement, such as 'by taking an extra off every week will help'. Additionally, some sentences are run-on or lack proper punctuation. To improve, focus on ensuring every sentence has a clear subject and verb, and practice using complex structures like conditional clauses or relative clauses more accurately.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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