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)

It is argued that employers should have more holidays and lower working days. I firmly believ employers should be given relaxation by reducing working days and increasing holidays.

From my perspective, I agree that week end should be extended and week day should be lessen for the labour because it helps them to get relaxated and they spend more time with their families. For instance, many staff work seven days a week and get only one day off, so they cannot look after their children and even cann't travel with them because of these hectic days. The one day which they get, they spend that day sleeping or doing other office work. Subsequently, even some employees cannot look after their health. So more holidays helped them to take a rest and it is benefial for their mental as well as physical health. They work with their full strength and interest.

In contrast, shorter working days affect the workplace and work. For example, if a building is going to be built in five months, due to less working hours it will be ready in seven or eight months. Employees will become lazy and won't concentrate on work as well as it also affected their income. In general, it will affect the companies.

In conclusion, employees should be provided at leat three holidays in a week. This is cruical for their mental and physical health but there are some disadvantages such as lower salaries and more time is taken to complete work. Otherwise it is crucial for employee.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task partially, presenting a position that is generally clear though expressed with some confusion initially, as the introduction states employers should have holidays rather than employees. Relevant ideas are introduced, such as the benefits of extra rest for mental and physical health and the drawbacks concerning reduced productivity and lower income. However, these ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed. For instance, the counterargument regarding construction delays is raised but not fully expanded into a well-reasoned discussion. To move to a higher level, the writer needs to explore all parts of the prompt more fully and extend supporting arguments with greater depth and clarity.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation in the essay, with a clear attempt to structure the response into an introduction, body paragraphs supporting different sides, and a conclusion. However, the overall progression is sometimes hindered by abrupt transitions and mechanical use of cohesive devices, such as 'In contrast' and 'In conclusion'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as pronoun confusion regarding who benefits from the changes. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within paragraphs lacks smooth flow. To achieve a higher band, the writer should ensure clearer logical links between sentences and develop a more seamless progression of ideas throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic meaning of the argument. There are noticeable errors in word choice, form, and spelling throughout the text, such as 'believ' instead of 'believe', 'week end' instead of 'weekend', 'lessen' instead of 'lessened' or 'shorter', 'relaxated', and 'benefial'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items like 'cruical' and 'hectic', but these are affected by spelling and collocation inaccuracies that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To improve lexical resource, the student needs to expand their control of common word formations, improve spelling accuracy, and use a wider variety of precise vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a limited range of sentence structures. While there are some attempts at complex sentences, these are often faulty, featuring frequent errors in verb forms, plurals, subject-verb agreement, and articles. Examples include 'employers should be given relaxation' when referring to employees, 'cann't travel', and 'more holidays helped them'. These frequent errors require the reader to decode the meaning and cause some difficulty. To reach a higher standard, the writer must demonstrate better control over basic grammatical structures, improve punctuation, and increase the frequency of error-free sentences by using a safer mix of simple and complex forms.

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

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