Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-01

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)

Employment is an indispensable part of adult life, not only providing financial stability but also shaping individual identity. In today's fast-paced life, it is often argued that the daily working hours should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend. I strongly agree with above mentioned statement for which vindication would be elaborated in the upcoming paragraphs.

To commence with, there are several reasons why individuals should work shorter. The first and foremost is, relaxation To explain it, in long holidays workers can relief their mind stress as well as rejuvenate their minds because they can spend quality time with their family and friends, even though it can also strengthen their love bonding. For instance, in countries like Iceland and Germany, companies tried a four day week and workers reported less stres Potential environmental benefits: Fewer commuting days could reduce traffic and transport-related emissions, especially where remote work or compressed schedules are possibles and make them happy. Moreover, it can also increase compnay's productivity because individuals can generate new ideas.

Moving further, the one more prominent merit is, individuals can learn new skills according to their interest and they can give time to their hobbies which can improve their mental and physical well-being. Addtionally, greater job satisfaction Employees may feel more motivated and valued when they have more personal time and they work hardly for their company. Potential environmental benefits: Fewer commuting days could reduce traffic and carbon emissions, especially where remote work or compressed schedules are possible.

To encapsulate, after analyzing all the aspects, there are many benefits of long holidays like, mental and physical health improvement, work-life balance and increase the productivity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear stance in agreement with the proposition of a shorter working week and longer weekend. Relevant ideas are presented, such as psychological well-being, increased productivity, and environmental impacts like reduced carbon emissions. However, some parts of the task are developed more fully than others. For example, while the point regarding stress relief and family time is supported with an example from Iceland and Germany, other ideas remain underdeveloped or abruptly introduced, such as the second instance of potential environmental benefits which appears to be copied and pasted near the end of the body paragraphs. To move to a higher band, all main arguments need consistent extension and full explanation without abrupt shifts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, and the use of transitional markers such as 'To commence with' and 'Moving further' indicates an attempt to structure the response. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and faulty. Referencing and progression are disrupted by intrusive mechanical errors, such as the repeated paragraph block regarding environmental benefits inserted awkwardly into the text. Paragraphing is present, but internal organizational flow suffers from these disjointed additions and repetitive phrasing in the conclusion. To improve, the writer needs to ensure that cohesive devices are used naturally and that ideas flow logically from one sentence to the next without abrupt structural repetitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'indispensable', 'financial stability', and 'rejuvenate'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word formation throughout the text. Examples include 'love bonding' instead of emotional bonds, 'work hardly' instead of work hard, and 'compnay's' which is a spelling error. While communication is not severely impeded, these slips in word choice and spelling prevent the response from achieving a higher band. To advance, the student should focus on precise collocations and ensure that derived word forms, such as adverbs and adjectives, are used accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as relative clauses and conditional-like expressions. There are, however, some errors in grammar and punctuation that appear throughout the text. Examples include missing articles or prepositions, as seen in 'relief their mind stress' and 'give time to their hobbies which can improve'. Furthermore, some sentence structures are incomplete or tangled, such as 'workers reported less stres Potential environmental benefits...', which shows a lack of control over punctuation and clause boundaries. Despite these errors, they rarely impede overall communication. To reach a higher band, the writer must exercise greater control over complex sentence construction and eliminate punctuation slips.

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

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