Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

In today's modern era, there is an ongoing debate on the working time allocation of the professionals. Some people believe that working week should comprise of shorter office timings and longer weekends. I agree with this idea because an ultimate job satisfaction can be achieved with precise work-life balance of working individuals.

Many international companies are promoting four days of working hours with three days of weekend system in their employee agreement. As a result, more employees are attracted to their company. Hence, it leads to the strong human resource development and eventually an exponential growth of the company. Additionally, a long relaxation time for the employees increase the overall productivity because they start their working week with fresh minds. Moreover, an ideal scenario of the work-life balance can be achieved with less burnout due to extra workload during the week. Consequently, families would get more time to spend with each other.

Though, there are several advantages of a shorter working week, the hidden disadvantages should not be ignored. More leisure time can make people lazy and inactive in their life which can lead to reduced quality of work, fading of interest and less productivity. As a result, the sharp decline in the profit margin for the company can discourage employers to promote long weekends. Less working hours can also reduce an overall annual income of working professionals which can negatively affect their quality of life economically and mentally.

In my opinion, working hours should be modified for a mutual interest of both the employer and and the employee. While work-life balance should be promoted, overall profitability of the company and productivity of an employee should not be compromised.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating their position in the introduction ("I agree with this idea") and maintaining it throughout the response. Relevant ideas regarding work-life balance, productivity, company growth, and potential drawbacks (such as laziness and reduced income) are presented and extended. While some points could benefit from slightly deeper elaboration, the main arguments are well-supported and directly answer the question. The response fits comfortably into the Band 7 descriptor as it addresses all parts of the task with a clear position and well-developed ideas, even though some generalisations are made.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to supporting arguments, counter-arguments, and a balanced conclusion. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as "As a result", "Additionally", "Moreover", and "Though". Paragraphing is managed appropriately to separate distinct thematic blocks. However, some cohesive links feel slightly mechanical or formulaic (e.g., starting consecutive sentences with "As a result"). Referencing is generally clear, earning a solid Band 7 for coherent structure and logical progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, incorporating terms such as "work-life balance", "exponential growth", "burnout", and "profit margin". There is some awareness of collocation and style, matching the Band 7 criteria. However, there are minor lexical inaccuracies and slightly awkward phrasing, such as "working time allocation of the professionals" instead of "allocation of working time for professionals", and "mutual interest of both the employer and and the employee" containing a duplicated word. Despite these occasional errors, the vocabulary is adequate to convey the intended meaning successfully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and participial phrases (e.g., "While work-life balance should be promoted, overall profitability..."). There are frequent error-free sentences, demonstrating good overall control of grammar and punctuation. However, minor errors persist, such as the missing article in "working week should comprise of shorter office timings" ("a shorter working week") and a doubled conjunction in the conclusion ("and and the employee"). These errors are non-systematic and do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6.5 to 7 range.

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