Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-05

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 authority should try to reduce the working hours for workers. So that employees can rest and manage their households. I don't completely agree with that because leave is important, but work is also important in certain cases. In my opinion, leave for 2 days per week is fine.

Nowadays, Many people complain that they have too much workload in their particular field. However, they don't see that their work output isn't sufficient. Also, they take leave unusually often. They want all the facilities, but they don't want to do work. Additionally, the government also give their enough salary as per their work, but they are never satisfied with that. For example, if I talk about government employees, they don't work as much, but they want a higher salary and more holidays. But the Saturday and Sunday leave is enough for resting, and the government also gives many personal leaves, like medical leave and emergency leave. Festival leave is not included in their leave.

In my opinion, the government should give leave to employees as per their work. If the work is high-level or needs more engament that, they have the authority to have a longer weekend. So they can spend time with their family and do other social work. And introduce rules that if they need more money, then they can do overtime. So, with this rule, others have relief from the workload, and only those who need more money then they work overtime.

In conclusion, Working hours should be decided based on their work. With the help of these, they are satisfied and enjoy their work. Also, they balance their work life with family.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt but lacks a clear, consistent position. While you acknowledge the complexity of the issue, the argument shifts between suggesting that current leave is sufficient and proposing that leave should be based on work intensity. The ideas are somewhat underdeveloped; for instance, the claim that employees 'don't want to do work' is a broad generalization that lacks supporting evidence or a balanced perspective. To improve, ensure your main position is stated clearly in the introduction and maintained throughout the body paragraphs. Focus on providing specific, logical reasons rather than anecdotal complaints about employee behavior, which detracts from the academic tone required for this task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive (e.g., 'Also', 'Additionally', 'In my opinion'). Some transitions between sentences are abrupt, making the flow feel disjointed. For example, the jump from discussing government employees to the suggestion of overtime rules lacks a smooth logical bridge. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect ideas more naturally. Ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that directly relates to your central argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher levels. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'do work' and 'give leave'. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'needs more engament' and 'others have relief from the workload'. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to the workplace, such as 'productivity', 'professional obligations', or 'work-life balance'. Avoid informal phrasing and focus on using words that accurately convey your intended meaning in a professional context.

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. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the government also give'), incorrect article usage, and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'If the work is high-level or needs more engament that, they have the authority'). Punctuation is generally functional, but some sentences are fragmented or run-on. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and sentence boundaries. Practice combining simple sentences into more complex, error-free structures to demonstrate better control over English grammar.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.