Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-21
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)
Many people are saying that there should be a longer weekend for the working people and the weekdays should be shorter. In my opinion, I agree with this statement because if there is a longer weekend, people can have the opportunity to spend quality time with their family at home as well as relax themselves from their hectic daily routine.
People working in the cities are mostly occupied in the offices because there is a lot of work assigned to them to complete before the deadline. Even they try to finish their work after coming home. They get very little time to spend with their parents and children. Including one more day in the weekend can provide them a chance to take out some of the time from their office work. In this way, everyone around them can feel pleased. For example, many companies in Asia have started the scheme for employees to work from home.
In big cities, some people have to travel far away from home to reach their offices and vice versa. This tough daily routine creates a demanding impact on their lifestyles. There is a frustration and irritation in a person's mood because of the tension of the workplace and fatigue caused by the travel. Shorter weekdays can help them relax from the exhaustion of work, and they can focus on their personal life. This charges them up for the upcoming weekdays. For instance, strategies are refined for the people to take short leaves from work and continue from home.
In conclusion, longer weekends can provide families the opportunity to get together and give a person more time to sleep and remove the weariness from work.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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 by clearly stating a position in agreement with having a shorter working week and longer weekend. The ideas are relevant, focusing on family time, stress reduction, and overall well-being. However, the development tends to be somewhat repetitive, particularly when discussing fatigue and stress in the second and third body paragraphs. Examples provided, such as work-from-home schemes in Asia, are slightly tangential as they relate more to work location than the length of the weekend itself. The main parts of the task are addressed, but the extension of ideas lacks depth and specific focus, aligning best with a Band 6.0 performance under Task Achievement descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is generally coherent with an evident overall progression. Each paragraph has a clear central focus: introduction of the topic and stance, family time and work pressure, travel fatigue and personal life, followed by a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In my opinion', 'For example', and 'In conclusion', though some referencing is a bit mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct points. The logical flow is maintained throughout, though finer transitions between sentences could be smoother to reach a higher band. This corresponds well to a Band 6.5 descriptor profile.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'hectic daily routine', 'demanding impact', and 'weariness'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, for example, saying 'relax themselves' instead of simply 'relax', or 'demanding impact' instead of 'negative impact'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary does not impede communication. The lexical control sits firmly within the Band 6.0 category, as the writer attempts a broader range of vocabulary but exhibits noticeable minor errors in precise collocation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional structures ('if there is a longer weekend, people can...') and subordinate clauses. There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'Many people are saying that there should be...' (where present continuous is slightly unnatural compared to present simple), and 'Even they try to finish their work...' (missing subject-verb connectivity). Punctuation is generally sound. While complex structures are attempted, errors persist, though they rarely impede communication. This performance aligns closely with the Band 6.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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