Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-04
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)
It is often argued that the working week should be shorter and employees should have a longer weekend. I agree with this statement because a shorter working week can help people achieve a better work-life balance and increase their productivity.
To begin with, there is an array of advantages of longer weekends. The most important one to be considered that better life balance. As a consequence, it impacts individuals in a positive way by having more time for family and friends. They can help them relax and reduce stress caused by long working hours. For example, employees who have an extra day off may have more time to exercise, travel or take care of their children. Additionally, they can relax their mind and body. As a result, when they go back to the job their physical and mental health is perfect. Therefore, a shorter working week can improve people's quality of life.
Another crucial benefit is higher productivity. Eventually, it can have an effect on workers due to employees may work more efficiently. For instance, a worker who rested well on the weekend and when they come back to their job their physical and mental health are well, they make fewer mistakes. As a result, employees do not suffer a significant reduction in salary. Therefore, shorter working hours can benefit both employees and their performance.
In conclusion, I agree that the working week should be shorter and the weekend should be longer. This can give people a better work-life balance and help them become more productive at work.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses the prompt clearly and maintains a consistent position throughout. The two main arguments—work-life balance and productivity—are relevant and logically extended. However, the development is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the second paragraph where the explanation of 'physical and mental health' is restated in a similar way to the first paragraph. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more distinct, nuanced supporting details or examples rather than repeating the same points. Overall, the task is fully addressed, but the depth of analysis could be improved to move beyond general statements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'As a consequence', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion'. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced, such as 'Eventually, it can have an effect on workers due to employees may work more efficiently'. The flow between sentences is generally smooth, but there are instances where the connection between ideas could be more natural. The referencing is clear, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication. You use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'work-life balance', 'productivity', and 'efficiently'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler phrasing. For example, 'perfect' is used in a context where 'optimal' or 'restored' would be more precise. There are also minor issues with word choice, such as 'The most important one to be considered that better life balance', which is grammatically awkward. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and less common lexical items to demonstrate greater precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are several grammatical errors that occur frequently. For example, 'The most important one to be considered that better life balance' is a sentence fragment missing a verb. Additionally, 'due to employees may work' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'because employees work'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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