Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-31

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 6.0)

As we move into the 21st century, an increasing number of employees should work fewer hours and have more time off at the weekend. Although a shorter working week may create some challenges for businesses. I strongly agree with this idea because it can improve employee's mental well-being and increase their productivity. The explanation would be discussed in the following paragraphs with examples and valid reasons.

To begin with, a shorter working week can provide employees with a better work-life balance. To elaborate, worker who have more free time can spend it with their families, take part in hobbies, and get enough rest. For example, companies in Canada provide long weekend for their employees. As a result, they may feel less stressed.

Furthermore, longer weekend can improve employee's productivity and motivation. As a result, when they better time to rest, they are more likely to return to work with greater concentration and more energy. For instance, Tokyo, Japan have tested shorter working hours to improve employee well-being and workplace productivity.

On the other hand, a shorter working week can create some difficulties for business, particularly those who need to operate continuously, such as hospitals, transport services, and hotels. For examples, hospitals can arrange different shifts so that essential services remain available throughout the week.

In conclusion, I strongly agree that the working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend. Although this may create some challenges for certain businesses, the benefit of better work-life balance, improved well-being and higher productivity make it a positive development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding work-life balance and productivity are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of Canada and Japan. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat brief. While the prompt is addressed, the explanation could be more deeply explored to reach a higher band. For instance, the example regarding Japan is quite general and could benefit from more specific detail on the outcomes of the tests mentioned. Overall, the response is well-focused and fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'On the other hand' are used to link ideas effectively. However, the use of these devices is somewhat mechanical at times. Additionally, there are minor issues with sentence-level cohesion, such as the sentence fragment 'Although a shorter working week may create some challenges for businesses.' which should be joined to the following sentence. Despite these minor issues, the overall structure is coherent.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'work-life balance', 'essential services', and 'productivity'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or 'less common' lexical items that would elevate the score. Some collocations are slightly awkward, such as 'provide long weekend' (should be 'provide long weekends') and 'when they better time to rest' (should be 'when they have better time to rest'). Overall, the vocabulary is sufficient but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'employee's mental well-being' (should be 'employees' mental well-being'), 'worker who have' (should be 'workers who have'), and 'Tokyo, Japan have tested' (should be 'Tokyo, Japan has tested'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not impede communication. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and pluralization. The control of punctuation is generally good, though the sentence fragment mentioned in the coherence section is a notable error.

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