Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-07
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 working weekend should be reduced, allowing employees to enjoy a longer weekend is a very controversial issue today. I strongly agree that people get longer weekends to perform their resting tasks and spend some quality time with family and friends just to prevent themselves from mental distress. This essay will show why i support this perspective.
Firstly, the primary reason for my opinion is more holidays enable a person to take more rest and reduce their stress levels. For instance, when a individual works throughout a week he or she needs some break to relax themselves. If a counterpoint exists that no longer weekend has required to relax, it is outweighed by the evidence supporting the opposing view.
Secondly, another key argument is longer weekend help the people to focus on their health. To illustrate, in many countries whenever people get extra holidays they usually go out for hiking,bicycling or swimming etc. just to engage themselves in extra activities for their mental health. Critics may claim no more holidays is essential for mental well being. In contrast, i firmly believe the arguments in favour of my position are more convincing and better backed by fact
Finally, in conclusion although there are some arguments this view, i firmly agree that longer weekends is essential for human mental health and well being. It supports reduce stress levels and also enables a people to focus on their health while engaging in other activities, the benefits of longer breaks for people are far more significant for individuals.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding health is supported by examples like 'hiking' and 'bicycling', but the link between these activities and a shorter working week could be more explicitly explained. The essay follows a standard structure, but the counter-arguments presented are vague and lack depth, which limits the overall persuasiveness of the response. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the societal or economic implications of a shorter working week rather than focusing solely on individual health benefits.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'If a counterpoint exists that no longer weekend has required to relax'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be improved to create a more natural progression of ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs more variety to avoid a repetitive feel.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their opinion clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific language like 'mental distress' and 'well-being'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'perform their resting tasks' and 'no longer weekend has required'. The repetition of basic words like 'people' and 'health' suggests a need for a wider range of synonyms and more sophisticated collocations to demonstrate greater lexical flexibility.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'longer weekend help', 'longer weekends is essential') and article usage (e.g., 'a individual', 'a people'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and some awkward phrasing that hinders the flow. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement and article errors would significantly improve the quality of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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