Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-25

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)

These days some people seem to argue that working five days is mandatory.

On the other hand, others are of the opinion that fewer working days are better.

However, I agree to a great extent with the idea that working weeks should be shorter and weekends longer.

There are certain reasons for my opinion which I wish to highlight in this essay.

In the first place, it would be quite true to say that fewer workdays reduce stress.

One illustration of this is that staff burnout decreases.

Another major advantage / reason of this side of the issue/topic seems to be that workplace output increases.

For instance employees focus much better.

To put the issue into perspective, the third most important point which is worth considering is that family life balance improves.

For example parents support their children.

To say further one factor that needs consideration would be that leisure spending grows rapidly.

an example that can be put forward is people travel more often.

Yet there is a dark side to the picture which advocates that business revenue might drop.

for instance shop sales decrease.

In addition to this, the other negative element, playing a significant role, may be essential services face shortages.

for example hospitals lack staff.

To put in a nutshell, I pen down saying that it is indeed a debatable issue which needs further analysis and discussion. However, in the light of above discussed arguments and examples it would be quite safe to conclude that the advantages of shorter working weeks overweigh its disadvantages in many different aspects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The candidate addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position agreeing with shorter working weeks and longer weekends. Relevant ideas are introduced, such as stress reduction, increased output, and family life balance, alongside a counter-argument regarding business revenue and essential services. However, the development of these ideas is frequently limited and relies on sweeping statements rather than fully extended argumentation or concrete examples. Phrases like 'One illustration of this is that staff burnout decreases' lack necessary elaboration. Consequently, the response aligns best with Band 6, where all parts are addressed and relevant ideas are present, but some remain under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, separating the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is frequently mechanical and formulaic, relying heavily on template-style transition markers such as 'In the first place', 'To put the issue into perspective', and 'To put in a nutshell'. Additionally, referencing and paragraph flow are occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'Another major advantage / reason of this side of the issue/topic seems to be...'. While the underlying logic is discernible and progression exists, the mechanical nature of the cohesion and occasional clunky transitions prevent the response from reaching Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'mandatory', 'advocates', 'essential services', and 'debatable issue'. However, there are notable instances of unnatural phrasing, lexical redundancy, and colloquialisms that detract from the academic tone, such as 'I pen down saying' and 'dark side to the picture'. Spelling and word choice are generally clear enough not to impede communication, but the vocabulary lacks the precision, flexibility, and control required for higher bands, placing it firmly at the Band 6 level where an adequate range is displayed despite some inaccuracies and awkward collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and subordinate clauses such as 'While I agree to a great extent with the idea that...' and 'Yet there is a dark side to the picture which advocates that...'. However, there are noticeable grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including missing capitalisation at the start of sentences ('an example that can be put forward...', 'for instance shop sales decrease.'), punctuation omissions, and awkward phrasing. These errors do not generally impede overall communication, but they occur with sufficient frequency to prevent the response from achieving a Band 7 score.

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

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