Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-19

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)

The idea of reducing the working week and allowing workers to have a longer weekend is good because not only does it improve the overall well-being of the employees but also optimizes their productivity, which is a view I largely agree with.

One of the major benefits of a short working week is that it enhances the overall well-being of employees. This is due to the fact that they may get more time away from work to relax and do their hobbies, this allows them to exercise and have some time with their family. For example, if employees are given an extra day for a weekend, they may relax fully and have more family-time, which enhances their physical and social well-being. This leads to a better quality of life, and contributes to the long-term development of society.

Furthermore, longer weekends can help in improving productivity. This is largely because workers who have relaxed can have more energy to tackle issues for the coming week. Consider employees such as teachers, when they are given longer weekends, they resume to work when they are happy and energetic. As a result, they may be able to create extra time for teaching so as to cover the syllabus on time, which may significantly benefit learners in the long run.

To conclude, I strongly agree with the idea that working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend since it benefits both the employers and employees by not only improving the overall well-being of the employees, but also optimizing companies' productivity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by presenting a clear position right from the introduction and maintaining it throughout the essay. The writer discusses both the impact on well-being and productivity, providing relevant ideas such as extra family time and teachers covering the syllabus efficiently. Ideas are extended and supported appropriately, although the supporting examples tend to rely on slightly general explanations rather than concrete real-world data or deeper elaboration. For instance, the example regarding teachers is a bit broad. Nevertheless, the main arguments are well-developed and the task is fully satisfied. This performance comfortably aligns with a Band 7 descriptor.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, beginning with a clear introduction, moving through well-structured body paragraphs examining well-being and productivity respectively, and ending with a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'This is largely because', and 'To conclude' are used effectively to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately. However, a minor mechanical issue occurs in the first body paragraph with a comma splice: '...do their hobbies, this allows them...' which interrupts smooth cohesion. Overall, the structural flow is strong and logical, justifying a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'optimize', 'well-being', 'long-term development', and 'tackle issues'. There are attempts to use less common items, though some collocations and word choices feel slightly unnatural, such as 'resume to work' instead of 'return to work'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication. While the range allows the writer to convey ideas flexibly, the lack of more sophisticated uncommon lexical items prevents it from reaching the higher bands. This performance fits the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures effectively (e.g., 'if employees are given an extra day...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, demonstrating good control of grammar overall. However, a few grammatical slips and punctuation errors persist, notably the aforementioned comma splice in the second paragraph ('...do their hobbies, this allows them...') and a missing article in the conclusion ('that working week should be shorter'). Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication and the structural variety is commendable. This balance of complex structures and minor errors corresponds to a Band 6.5, rounded to 6.5.

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.