Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-15

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 often argued that the working week should be shorter and the weekend should be longer than the weekdays. I believe the working week should be shorter than the weekdays.

On the one hand, many workers and students work overtime and don't get enough rest, and they don't even care about their health. For example, in many developed countries like the UK and Canada, many overseas workers do full-time jobs just to meet their personal expenses and pay their rent. And they also work on their weekends, so the authorities should have to pay attention to this. Like European countries, we should develop a law that limits them to only 20 hours.

On the other hand, if the weekend is long, they take care of their health, and they also have some time to take care of their house, and they also have a chance to get rid of the hectic routine, and they also give time to themselves, and they also wash their clothes and go traveling. Furthermore, they week ends have almost 3 to 4 days, not much more than that; otherwise, they become lazy, and they also become careless and don't pay attention to their work, which is negative impact on industries and on workplaces like shops and supermarkets.

In conclusion, I do believe that everything is good to a limit, and there is also a poet who says that excess of everything is bad. However, it is good to do less work on weekdays so that they enjoy their weekdays.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is stated, and you give relevant reasons for a shorter working week, including workers’ need for rest and time for health and household responsibilities. You also acknowledge a possible drawback: very long weekends could reduce attention to work. However, the position is not consistently clear: the opening says the week should be shorter “than the weekdays,” and the conclusion shifts to doing less work “on weekdays,” rather than clearly answering whether you agree with a longer weekend. The example about overseas workers and the proposed 20-hour limit is not fully explained or connected to the specific proposal. Develop fewer points with clearer reasoning and examples, and state your position precisely throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an introduction, two body paragraphs signalled by “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a conclusion, so the reader can identify its broad structure. However, the progression within paragraphs is often difficult to follow. The second body paragraph strings together several points with repeated “and they also,” while the relationship between a three-to-four-day weekend and workers becoming careless is asserted rather than explained. The first body paragraph also moves from overtime to overseas workers, weekend work, authorities, and a 20-hour law without clear links. Use topic sentences that establish one main point per paragraph, then explain and support it; vary linking devices and make references such as “they” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some vocabulary relevant to work and wellbeing, including “overtime,” “personal expenses,” “hectic routine,” and “authorities.” These choices help communicate the general topic. However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or repetitive, which makes some ideas less clear. For example, “the working week should be shorter than the weekdays” does not express the intended comparison accurately, and “they week ends” is an incorrect form. Repeated use of “work,” “weekend,” and “also” further restricts variety. Aim for more precise topic vocabulary and natural collocations, such as “reduce weekly working hours” and “maintain a healthy work-life balance,” while checking word forms and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, and the main message is generally understandable. However, control becomes unreliable in extended sentences, particularly in the second body paragraph, where repeated clauses joined by “and” obscure the relationships between ideas. There are also errors in sentence construction and agreement, such as “the working week should be shorter than the weekdays” and “they week ends have almost 3 to 4 days.” The conclusion’s “it is good to do less work on weekdays so that they enjoy their weekdays” has an unclear subject reference. Use shorter, controlled sentences when presenting several reasons, and practise accurate clause structure, pronoun reference, and punctuation before combining ideas into complex sentences.

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