Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-12

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)

It is often argued that the working week should be reduced so that employees can enjoy a longer weekend and extended weekend strategy should be introduced. I strongly agree with this statement because a shorter working week can improve workers' well-being and increase their productivity rate.

One of the reasons I believe the working week should be shorter and weekends should be extended is that this strategy helps workers maintain better mental and physical health. Workers can spend more time with their families and friends.They can also be involved physical activities during weekeds ,which can help them reduce stress and exhaustion and improve their overall well-being.This saves them from having any detrimental effect on their bodies.For example, a Chinese firm asks its workers to work remotely for one day a week, which can contribute to better mental health among its employees.

Moreover, a shorter working week and an extended weekend can boost the productivity of employees. This can motivate them, and well-rested employees are more focused on their work. They can use their skills more effectively, resulting in fewer errors. As a result, workers can perform their tasks more efficiently. For instance, employees at Google work only three to four days a week, and they have a high level of productivity.They have introduced more supple schedules and reported improvement in employee performance and satisfaction.

In conclusion, I believe that an extended weekend and a shortened working week are more beneficial for the overall well-being of employees and can also lead to higher productivity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt directly, presenting a clear position agreeing with the statement that the working week should be shorter. The main ideas, focusing on well-being and productivity, are introduced in the introduction and supported in the body paragraphs. For instance, the student notes that shorter hours improve physical and mental health by allowing workers to spend more time with family. However, the development of these ideas tends to be slightly superficial rather than deeply extended. The examples provided, such as a Chinese firm offering remote work and Google's scheduling, are relevant but lack detailed elaboration to reach a higher band. Nevertheless, all parts of the task are addressed, and a clear position is maintained throughout the essay. This fits the criteria for Band 6.5, rounded to 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Logical organization is evident, as each body paragraph focuses on a distinct main point: health benefits followed by productivity gains. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as "One of the reasons", "Moreover", and "As a result". However, there are some minor mechanical issues with cohesion and referencing, and paragraphing could be smoother. There are also spacing and punctuation errors between sentences (e.g., missing spaces after periods in phrases like "weekeds ,which" and "well-being.This saves"). Despite these minor mechanical flaws, the progression of ideas is generally clear, justifying a solid Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as "well-being", "productivity rate", "detrimental effect", and "exhaustion". There are attempts to incorporate less common lexical items like "flexible schedules" (spelled as "supple schedules", which is slightly unnatural in this context). Some minor word choice and collocation errors occur, such as "involved physical activities" instead of "involved in physical activities". However, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the meaning clearly, and communication is never impeded. These characteristics align well with the Band 6.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional and relative clauses, such as "which can help them reduce stress and exhaustion" and "well-rested employees are more focused on their work." There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including missing prepositions (e.g., "involved physical activities") and spacing errors after periods. Although these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication, and many sentences remain grammatically sound. The range of structures combined with frequent error-free sentences places this response firmly at Band 6.0.

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.