Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-11
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 argued that workers should have a shorter working days with a longer weekend. I partly agree with this because more holidays over the weekend would provide a beneficial work-life balance whereas it might cause financial burden for some people.
On the one hand, lesser working time in a week can provide a work-life balance wellness that promote both better mental and physical health. It is because individuals can spend more time to rest after work. For example, they can have more time for doing physical exercise such as walking or jogging, or they can develop more interests like playing music. Moreover, it is paramount that parents spending more time with their children to build a better relationship. With the improvement of well-beings, it would enhance the effectiveness and efficiency at work. Consequently, both the employers and employees are beneficial to these advantages.
On the other hand, a longer weekend might cause financial strain on some people because the income would be reduced. Some individual might prefers sacrificing the rest days to work as they want to gain higher salary for longer working hours. For instance, parents have to pay family expenses including renting, fuel, food and school fees for children. Therefore, this enormous regular expenditure might cause stress on the family financial pillars if they are not allowed to work for longer days in a week.
In conclusion, I would partially agree with a job that has a shorter duration because it provides healthier mental and physical fitness. However, it might cause strain on people who have financial burden with decreased income. Therefore, workers should make adjustments and balance between the working days and rest days depending on their own needs.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, presenting a clear position that is maintained throughout. The ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of physical exercise and the financial strain caused by reduced income. The argument is well-developed, although some points could be extended further to reach a higher band. For instance, the link between 'well-beings' and 'effectiveness at work' is a strong point that could have been elaborated with more specific detail. Overall, the response is balanced and directly answers the question, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used effectively, such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'Consequently', which help guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two sides of the debate. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the phrase 'both the employers and employees are beneficial to these advantages', which is slightly awkward. Despite this, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate and allows for the expression of ideas with reasonable precision. There are some attempts at less common items, such as 'paramount' and 'enormous regular expenditure'. However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'work-life balance wellness' (which is redundant) and 'financial pillars' (which is not a standard collocation). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Expanding the range of academic collocations would further improve the quality of the writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there is good control over basic grammar, there are several recurring errors, such as 'shorter working days' (should be 'a shorter working day' or 'shorter working days'), 'parents spending' (should be 'parents spend'), and 'Some individual might prefers' (should be 'Some individuals might prefer'). These errors are frequent but do not significantly impede the reader's understanding. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and pluralization, which would allow for more error-free complex sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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