Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

It is contended that employees should get more holidays in a week than working days. I completely disagree with this notion due to several compelling reasons.

A key justification for this stance is that a significant population around the world depends upon salaries. Families need financial stability to survive in the society because inflation rates are surging dramatically. People get paid on hourly basis. People living in metropolitan regions have to pay rents, commuting expenses, medical and educational expenditures, etc. For example, if a person supports a large family, he will be required to work for maximum hours during the week days.

Another pivotal factor is that people who appear to workplace regulary, are more likely to become disciplined and professional. Although working for long days is an exhausting activity, it offers financial sustainability.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is severely under-length, containing only 134 words against the mandatory 250-word minimum specified for IELTS Writing Task 2. Consequently, the development of ideas is heavily curtailed, directly impacting the Task Achievement score. While the writer manages to present a clear position ('I completely disagree with this notion') and offers a couple of relevant supporting ideas regarding financial stability and discipline, these points remain largely undeveloped and lack sufficient extension. Due to the failure to meet the minimum length requirement combined with under-developed main points, this performance aligns with Band 4.0 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

Despite the short length, the text exhibits a logical structure and overall organisation. The writer introduces the stance in the first paragraph, provides supporting arguments in the body paragraphs, and uses basic cohesive devices such as 'Another pivotal factor' and 'For example'. Paragraphing is attempted, though the second body paragraph is extremely brief. Referencing and logical progression are generally adequate for a short response, though the mechanical nature of the transitions prevents a higher score. This aspect of the writing corresponds well to Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The lexical range is adequate for communicating basic ideas, featuring terms such as 'financial stability', 'inflation rates', 'metropolitan regions', and 'professional'. However, there are notable lexical and collocation inaccuracies, such as writing 'appear to workplace' instead of 'appear at the workplace' or 'go to the workplace', and 'on hourly basis' instead of 'on an hourly basis'. The vocabulary is generally functional rather than flexible, fitting comfortably within the Band 5.5 parameters.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Although working for long days is an exhausting activity, it offers financial sustainability.' Grammatical control is mixed; while many simple sentences are accurate, there are noticeable omissions and errors, such as 'depend upon salaries' (missing article), 'on hourly basis' (missing article), and the preposition error in 'appear to workplace'. These errors occasionally distract the reader, but communication is not impeded, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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