Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-30

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)

In this contemporary era, some individuals believe that a week should be shorter for the workers and have a longer weekend. While having a shorter week may seem like it has better productivity, more working hours, and cost effective. I tend to agree with this statement because having a shorter week has its perks like better mental health, more family and friends time, and good productivity.

On the one hand, having short weekdays provides better mental health to workers. Firstly, individuals need mental breaks in order to concentrate more and to overcome various hurdles in the work. Secondly, better physical health is also very important for workers. For instance, when an individual gets more time to rest after a hefty week of work, he works more willingly and vigorously. Moreover, a longer weekend allows workers to spend more time with their family and friends, which can help them feel relaxed and satisfied.

On the other hand, having a longer weekend increases the productivity of employees as they get enough time to relax and recover from their work. When workers are less tired, they can concentrate better and make fewer mistakes. Furthermore, shorter working weeks can help employees maintain a better work-life balance. For example, a worker who has enough time to rest may return to work with more energy and complete tasks more efficiently.

In conclusion, although a shorter working week may reduce the number of working hours, I believe that it has several benefits. Better mental and physical health, more family time, and higher productivity are some of the main advantages of having a longer weekend.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by taking a clear position that the working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend. Main ideas are presented, such as improved mental and health benefits and increased productivity, and they are supported with explanations. However, the introduction contains a notable grammatical error and a fragment ('While having a shorter week may seem like it has better productivity, more working hours, and cost effective. I tend to agree...'), which affects the overall clarity of the initial stance. Additionally, the first body paragraph discusses both mental health and physical health, while the second body paragraph repeats the idea of productivity that was already mentioned in the introduction. The ideas are somewhat repetitive between paragraphs, which prevents them from being fully and deeply extended to reach a higher band level. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the Band 6 descriptors well.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, distinct body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to signal transitions between ideas, as seen with phrases like 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion'. However, paragraphing and referencing show some mechanical patterns. Specifically, the student attempts a standard two-sided argument structure ('On the one hand' / 'On the other hand'), but both sides of the argument actually support the same premise (that shorter weeks are beneficial), which makes the transition 'On the other hand' logically confusing. Furthermore, the progression of ideas is slightly hindered by repetition, particularly regarding productivity and rest. While the text is easy to follow overall, the mechanical use of transitional markers and the flawed logical contrast keep this criterion at Band 6.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'contemporary era', 'productivity', 'hefty week', and 'work-life balance'. There are several attempts to use less common lexical items, but some word choices and collocations are awkward or inaccurate. For instance, the phrase 'more family and friends time' is unnatural and should be phrased as 'more time with family and friends'. Similarly, the phrase 'better productivity, more working hours, and cost effective' in the introduction mixes nouns and an adjective unparallelly. Spelling is generally accurate, but the limitations in lexical precision and occasional inappropriate word combinations prevent the score from rising into the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. The student attempts complex structures using subordinate clauses, such as 'when an individual gets more time to rest after a hefty week of work, he works more willingly and vigorously.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text. Most notably, the introduction contains a major sentence fragment error ('...and cost effective. I tend to agree...'). There are also occasional pronoun agreement issues ('a worker... he') and awkward phrasing in complex constructions. While these errors do not severely impede communication, their frequency prevents the essay from achieving a Band 7.

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

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