Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-18

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 weekdays should be smaller and employees should be able to enjoy a longer weekend. There are several reasons of this view, such as longer weekend can help workers to relieve stress and rebuild the energy. I do not believe that these reasons are entirely convincing because it can be detrimental for the businesses and companies.This essay will examine the key reasons befre giving my own opinion.

One of the major reasons of supporting this statement is that long weekends can reduce stress levels. This can be further explained by that working nine to five results in a hectic routine that leads to the increased stress levels. Furthermore, workload can create mental pressure on individuals. For instance, back to back meetings and targets can cause anxiety in workers. As a result, stress environment of an office can cause high stress levels, which can be minimize by shorter weekdays.

Another significant factor is that longer weekend can help professionals to regain energy. It is because when people get a break from daily struggles, it can help them refresh and gather their energy for work. Moreover, relaxing can make individuals focus more efficiently that leads to the better performance. However, i do not agree with this because longer weekends can be dismal for companies. In addition, when a person work less than required it may be better for his stress, but for owners it can be stressful. Every company has a way of working and has a specific target. To llustrate this, a businessman has to pay every labour's salary, if employees do not work properly it will be hard for the organisations to stay competitive in a market.

To conclude, there are several supporting arguments in favour of the longer weekends. I do not find these views persuasive because it is terrible for businesses. However, pressure can be reduced by many oth

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the topic and gives a position against shorter working weeks, but that position is not consistently clear: the opening says the arguments are “not entirely convincing,” while the conclusion calls longer weekends “terrible for businesses” without clearly stating what working-week arrangement you support. The discussion of stress and energy is relevant, yet these points mainly explain why workers might benefit; the counterargument about business costs is asserted rather than fully demonstrated. For example, the salary point does not explain how shorter hours would affect productivity, staffing, or targets. To strengthen the response, state your position directly and consistently, then develop a few reasons with specific explanations or examples that show why they support your view.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a recognisable essay structure, with an introduction, supporting discussion, a counterargument, and a conclusion. Paragraphs generally have a central topic, and signposts such as “Furthermore,” “For instance,” and “To conclude” help show relationships between ideas. However, progression is uneven: the second body paragraph moves from the benefits of rest to your disagreement and business concerns, so the reader has to follow a sudden shift within one paragraph. Some links are also repetitive or unclear, including repeated references to stress and the transition “However, i do not agree with this.” Organise the benefits and your rebuttal into clearly separated stages, and make each paragraph’s purpose explicit. The final sentence also ends abruptly, weakening the overall sense of completion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for the topic, including “relieve stress,” “mental pressure,” “regain energy,” “competitive,” and “targets.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, and there are attempts at more formal phrasing. However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “weekdays should be smaller,” “stress environment,” and “dismal for companies.” There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “befre,” “llustrate,” and “minimize” where the sentence requires a different form. Aim for precise, natural combinations rather than translating ideas literally; for example, describe a “shorter working week,” a “stressful work environment,” and a “financial burden” on businesses. Proofreading would also help remove avoidable spelling errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mix of simple and complex sentences, using clauses with “because,” “when,” and “if,” as well as examples introduced by “For instance.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to process. Examples include “There are several reasons of this view,” “when a person work less,” and “it can be minimize,” which show problems with grammatical patterns, subject–verb agreement, and verb forms. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention, as in “longer weekend” and “companies.This essay.” Capitalise “I” consistently and check punctuation around sentence breaks. Practise accurate clause construction and agreement, then proofread each sentence for articles and verb forms while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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