Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · 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 8.0)

The traditional five-day, 40-hour workweek is an industrial-era relic, ill-suited for the demands of the modern digital economy. Transitioning to a shorter working week, such as a four-day model with maintained compensation, is essential for improving individual well-being, corporate efficiency, and environmental sustainability across the globe.

First, a longer weekend directly combats chronic fatigue and burnout. Decades of organizational research show that longer hours do not equate to higher output. Instead, when employees face compressed hours, Parkinson's Law takes effect: work becomes more focused, redundant meetings are eliminated, and unnecessary procrastination drops significantly. Rested workers consistently exhibit higher intrinsic motivation, creativity, and daily engagement.

Second, global pilot programs of the four-day workweek reveal profound economic advantages. Participating companies report stable or increased revenues alongside dramatic reductions in staff turnover and absenteeism. In competitive employment markets, offering genuine work-life balance is a vital tool for attracting top talent, while simultaneously lowering corporate overhead and facility costs for employers.

Finally, a shorter workweek yields immediate ecological dividends. Cutting out an entire day of mass transit and vehicular traffic per worker substantially lowers urban carbon footprints and daily fuel consumption rates.

Furthermore, employees gain valuable time for lifelong learning, civic participation, and strengthening community bonds, which enriches society as a whole. Ultimately, shifting from valuing physical presence to measuring actual performance benefits everyone. A shorter working week unlocks a healthier workforce, higher productivity, and a more sustainable future for society. Embracing this vital change ensures labor models evolve alongside our modern technological progress.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

Your response covers all parts of the task very well, presenting a clear, fully developed position in favor of a shorter working week and a longer weekend. You introduce well-supported arguments addressing individual well-being, economic advantages, and environmental sustainability. For instance, your explanation of how compressed hours invoke Parkinson's Law demonstrates sophisticated reasoning. To push toward the highest level, you could further extend the exploration of potential counterarguments or economic challenges, ensuring every single implication is examined with even greater depth. However, your main stance remains robust, focused, and thoroughly articulated throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.5

Your essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. You make effective use of sequencing markers such as 'First,' 'Second,' and 'Finally,' which guide the reader smoothly from one point to the next. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph centering on a distinct thematic area like employee burnout or ecological benefits. Cohesive devices are managed well without feeling mechanical. To achieve even greater cohesion, you might refine the transitional links between paragraphs—such as bridging the transition from economic benefits to environmental dividends with slightly more intricate referencing—to make the flow entirely seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 8.5

You demonstrate a wide, fluent, and flexible range of vocabulary, employing sophisticated lexical items with natural control. Phrases like 'industrial-era relic,' 'maintained compensation,' 'chronic fatigue and burnout,' and 'ecological dividends' show a high level of precision and stylistic awareness. Your word choice is generally excellent, and you utilize uncommon lexical items naturally. There are only very occasional minor inaccuracies in collocation. To elevate your lexical control further, ensure that every less common phrase integrates flawlessly into your academic tone, avoiding any slight overlap in conceptual phrasing across arguments.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.5

Your control of grammar and sentence structure is exceptionally strong, featuring a wide range of complex structures used accurately. The majority of your sentences are error-free, showcasing sophisticated syntactic variety such as participial phrases ('Cutting out an entire day...') and conditional implications ('when employees face compressed hours...'). Punctuation and verb tenses are handled with high precision. To maintain this exceptional standard, continue to ensure absolute accuracy in minor syntactic patterns, though your current control already reflects a high degree of sophisticated grammatical maturity.

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