Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-12

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 6.5)

Some people believe that the working week should be compact and worker should have an extended weekend. I completely disagree, from my perspective, the working week must not be shorter as it can affect productivity and economy.

One compelling argument in the favour of not extending weekends is that there are workers whose roles are vital to the public. Doctors, for instance, are particularly essential. In certain European countries like Iceland or Germany, citizens typically work only four days a week. As a result, many doctors finish their work on Thursday and do not return to work until Monday. In the absence of a physician, unskilled nurses or recent medical school graduates may act as substitutes. This could potentially harm the health of patients receiving treatment over the weekends. For example, in Tajikistan, newborns lose their lives in maternity clinics due to the incompetence of replacement nurses during weekdays.

Another significant reason is that reducing the length of the workweek could have negative implications on the economy. Some professionals are paid based on the hours they work each week. This means that the less an individual works, the lower their salary will be. Take teachers in Uzbekistan as an example: they receive payment for the hours they teach each month. If they only worked four days a week, their income could significantly decrease, putting a major strain on their families' budgets. This could also impact individuals in other occupations, thus harming the state's economy.

To put it in a nutshell, decreasing the duration of the workweek is not advisable due to the potential adverse effects it could have on people's well-being, both physically and financially.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction and conclusion: you oppose a shorter working week. You give two relevant reasons—continuity of essential medical care and possible reductions in workers’ income—and support them with examples involving doctors and teachers. This addresses the task, but the case is not equally convincing throughout. The claim that doctors in Iceland or Germany generally stop working on Thursday, and the example about newborn deaths in Tajikistan, are broad and need clearer evidence or qualification. The economic point is more directly explained, though it focuses mainly on hourly-paid workers rather than the wider effects on productivity and the economy mentioned in your introduction. More precise, balanced development of these points would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present separate reasons, and a conclusion restates your position. Signposting such as “One compelling argument” and “Another significant reason” helps readers follow the progression. However, some connections are mechanical, and a few references are not fully clear. For example, “In the absence of a physician” follows a claim about doctors’ schedules but does not explain how a shorter week would leave medical services uncovered. The transition from the example about nurses to newborn deaths also needs a clearer link. The conclusion is concise but largely repeats the opening. To improve, make the cause-and-effect links explicit and use transitions that show how each example supports your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “vital to the public,” “negative implications,” “significantly decrease,” and “strain on their families’ budgets.” These choices help communicate your position and show attempts to use less common language. Some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, however: “compact” is not a natural description of a working week, “in the favour of” is awkward, and “unskilled nurses” may be an imprecise or unfair label for the staff described. “Lose their lives … due to the incompetence” is also a strong claim that would benefit from more measured wording. Aim for precise collocations and avoid overstating claims; this will make your argument sound more fluent and appropriately academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “If they only worked four days a week, their income could significantly decrease” and a relative clause in “workers whose roles are vital to the public.” Most sentences are understandable, and errors rarely obstruct your meaning. Some grammatical slips remain: “worker should have” needs plural agreement or an article, and the opening sentence joins two independent clauses with a comma: “I completely disagree, from my perspective…”. There is also a tense inconsistency in “If they only worked … their income could … putting a major strain,” where the final clause would be clearer as “which could put a major strain.” Review agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, while continuing to use varied structures.

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

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