Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-28

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)

Nowadays, workers in most cases are bound to work in more days in a competetive environment and a much shorter weekend of about one to two days at most. Most of the people believe that working week should be shorter and the workers should experience a longer weekend. I completely agree with this point of view. In this essay, I will be be supporting my point of view with specific examples.

On the one hand, it can be largely seen that people belonging to different professions are required to do their job for five to six days a week and about 8 to 12 hours, which I think is too much for a person too handle if he also wants to remain happy and enjoy his life to the fullest and as a result he may become a victim to depression and anxiety. For example, the people doing office jobs wake up early, go to their office and just sit in front of their computers for all day long. Then come home tired and just sleep and this cycle repeats again. On weekends, they have much pending work at home so they can't even do the things they enjoy or go outside.

On the other hand, many people have the contrasting opinion with the statement. One reason can be the fact that when the working hours are reduced they may be paid less. Although, some people are just workaholic they just can't think of doing other things rather than working. As a result, they may seem successfull in their life but their life seem to be dull.

In conclusion, although it is common belief that work days should be made less. I believe that if a person wants to remain happy and full of life his life must not revolve around his job or work. Personally, I think that working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend to be able to lead a good life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you completely agree that the working week should be shorter, and the conclusion restates this view. You give relevant reasons, including the effects of long working days on wellbeing and the limited time workers have for personal activities. However, the response only partly develops the task: the opposing view that shorter hours may mean lower pay is mentioned but not examined or answered, and the benefits of a longer weekend could be explained more specifically. The office-worker example illustrates tiredness, but it would be stronger with a clearer link to how an extra day off would help. The response meets the required length; 12 words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the reader can follow the main position. Paragraphs generally group related points, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the stages visible. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes loose: the first body paragraph moves from working hours to depression, office routines and household tasks without consistently showing how each point supports the proposal. The contrast paragraph also introduces reduced pay and workaholism without connecting them clearly to your response. Use linking phrases more selectively and make each paragraph develop one central claim through explanation and example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including terms such as “competitive environment,” “depression and anxiety,” and “workaholic.” There is some attempt to express abstract ideas about wellbeing and work-life balance. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as “bound to work in more days,” “do their job for five to six days,” and “full of life his life must not revolve around his job.” Spelling errors such as “competetive” and “successfull” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and precise wording, especially when describing working patterns and their effects. This would make the argument clearer and show a more controlled range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “if he also wants to remain happy” and a concession beginning “Although.” The overall meaning is usually understandable, but errors recur in sentence construction, agreement and punctuation. For example, “I will be be supporting” repeats the auxiliary, while “their life seem to be dull” has a subject–verb agreement problem. The sentence beginning “Although, some people…” is not a complete sentence as written, and “Then come home tired” lacks an explicit subject. There are also run-on or loosely joined clauses, particularly in the office-worker example. Check each sentence for a clear subject and verb, and use full stops or conjunctions to control clause boundaries.

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