Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-23

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)

There is a popular opinion whether Workers should work for more days a week or they need more off days. I completely disagree with the statement of long weekends. Mainly because less working days in a week can cause financial difficulties for new startups and also it lowers the monthly income of the workers.

Less working days in a week can create significant problems for new business. New Startups have to work more in order to compete with their competitors, due to which they need workers working maximum days in a week to fullfill the requirements of the market. For instance, most of the tech startups work on time based projects, they have to deliver clients orders on time to maintain their success rate on freelace platforms. As a result they need the maximum time of employes to complete projects.

However, working maximum days a week also benefits the employes. They get paid according to their working hours or working days of whole month, so they can work more days in a month and get paid enoughly to fullfill their goals.

For example, higher compensation can help individuals to afford their studies or buy their dream house and other essentil things. As a result, workers can achieve their desired lifestyle which eventualy leads to the better performance in their work.

In conclusion, working maximum days a week benefits both employer and employes. Business can achieve their targets on time due the the high working pace through out the week and employes can get paid well for their time. So overall its beneficial for both.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position against a shorter working week, focusing on financial difficulties for startups and lower monthly worker income. The ideas are generally relevant, but their development is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the argument regarding startups relies on general assertions about tech companies without deep extension, and the discussion on worker compensation mirrors the point about income made in the introduction. While a clear stance is maintained throughout, the ideas lack the fully elaborated extension required for higher bands. Therefore, the response fits well within the Band 6 descriptor, where relevant ideas are presented but remain somewhat under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct points, such as the impact on businesses versus the impact on employees. However, cohesion is at times faulty and mechanical. For example, the transitional phrases and linking devices feel repetitive, using structures like 'As a result' multiple times consecutively to introduce consequences. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. These issues align closely with the Band 6 descriptor, where cohesion is sometimes mechanical and referencing is not always optimal.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'financial difficulties', 'competitors', 'compensation', and 'lifestyle'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'fullfill' (fulfill), 'freelace' (freelance), 'employes' (employees), 'essentil' (essential), and 'eventualy' (eventually). Additionally, awkward phrasing such as 'paid enoughly' detracts from the lexical quality. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, but the frequency of spelling errors and minor collocation slips prevents the response from achieving a Band 6.5 or 7.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as conditional and causal clauses (e.g., 'New Startups have to work more in order to compete...'). However, there are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors that persist, including missing articles ('with their competitors', 'on time based projects'), incorrect pluralisation or agreement, and run-on phrasing. While these errors do not severely impede communication and the core meaning remains understandable, the density of grammatical inaccuracies places the essay securely in the Band 5.5 range, reflecting a limited control over complex structures.

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

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