Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-06

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 number of working days should be reduced, while allowing employees to have a longer days off. I strongly agree with this point of view because of a shorter working days make worker improve mental health and increase their productivity.

Firstly, a shorter working week can significantly improves employees mental and physical well being. Working for long hours make employees stressful and anxiety. To overcome this phenomenal condition reduce the amount of working days. Furthermore, individuals have enough time to spend with families and also take part in desire hobbies, which will escape from the stress and work load. For instance, in Vietnam, parents have enough time to look after of their children. They attend school meetings and play significant role in their lives due to plenty of time they spend at home rather than go to office every day.

Secondly, a concise working hours rise their productivity. Employees have limited work and remaining time to spend other activity which enhance their thinking capacity. However, they come back at work with full energetic and motivated. For example, in Japan some business man observe that employees who come back after a vacation make work more faster and efficient as compared to others. They have strong critical thinking power and complete their task more accuracy and incredibly. Additionally, the companies generate higher revenue and rise their growth which can benefit both the workers and owners.

In conclusion, I strongly agree with that the working week should be shorter and employees should have long weekend. This is because it can improve worker mental health and also increase the growth of productivity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position in favor of a shorter working week. The ideas are relevant, focusing on mental health and productivity. However, the development is somewhat limited. While the essay provides examples from Vietnam and Japan, these are generalized and lack specific detail to fully support the arguments. The conclusion restates the position, but the overall development of ideas remains at a surface level. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'why' and 'how' of your arguments with more nuanced explanations and more concrete, well-integrated examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the two body paragraphs and the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions are mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'To overcome this phenomenal condition reduce the amount of working days', where the connection to the previous sentence is slightly awkward. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'phenomenal condition' and 'critical thinking power', though these are not always used with perfect precision or natural collocation. Some word choices are repetitive or slightly inaccurate, such as 'make work more faster' instead of 'work faster'. To improve, focus on learning collocations (e.g., 'enhance productivity' rather than 'rise their productivity') and using more precise academic vocabulary to convey your points with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('a shorter working days make worker improve'), incorrect verb forms ('can significantly improves'), and awkward phrasing ('look after of their children'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage would significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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