User-written IELTS example
Writing Academic Task 2 Band 9.0 Example
Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.
Illustrative target band for this original model answer.
Plan your answer
Try your own response before reading the samples.
Ideas to explore
- A longer weekend can provide time for rest, relationships, childcare, and personal interests.
- Reducing unnecessary meetings and clarifying priorities may help teams use working hours more efficiently.
- Continuous-staffing workplaces may need staggered shifts or a trial period to protect service coverage.
Suggested structure
- Introduce the proposal in your own words and state your position clearly.
- Explain how a shorter week could benefit workers’ wellbeing and personal responsibilities.
- Show how employers might benefit through more focused working practices.
- Acknowledge a practical limitation, such as the need for continuous staffing, and suggest a feasible response.
- Conclude by restating your position with the condition that implementation should be planned.
Useful vocabulary & examples
- adequate recovery
- enough time to rest and regain energy
Adequate recovery may help employees return to work with better focus.
- operational coverage
- having enough staff available to keep a service or workplace functioning
Careful shift planning can maintain operational coverage during a shorter week.
- workload compression
- fitting the same amount of work into a shorter period
Workload compression could increase pressure if tasks are not prioritised.
- staggered shifts
- work schedules arranged at different times so staff coverage is maintained
Staggered shifts may help a service operate throughout the week.
Task Prompt
User Essay Analysis
Review the public answer with report-style highlights.
In today’s rapidly evolving society, individuals are compelled to engage in work to sustain their livelihoods. A pertinent discourse has emerged concerning the proposition that employees should benefit from extended weekends accompanied by a shortened workweek to establish a better equilibrium between their professional responsibilities and personal lives. I unequivocally endorse this perspective. Contemporary workers often face growing workloads, lengthy commutes, and pressure to remain available outside office hours. A shorter working week would give them more time to rest, maintain relationships, and meet responsibilities such as childcare. This is not merely a lifestyle benefit: adequate recovery can help people return to work with greater focus, while reducing the risk that persistent fatigue undermines their wellbeing.
First, a shorter week can also encourage more efficient working practices. When time is limited, teams may become more deliberate about setting priorities, reducing unnecessary meetings, and completing essential tasks during working hours. If work is organised effectively, employees could maintain or even improve the quality of their output while spending fewer hours at work. This arrangement may therefore benefit employers as well as staff by supporting motivation and reducing burnout.
Moreover, a longer weekend gives people time to pursue interests and spend time with family and friends. These activities contribute to a more satisfying life outside work, which should not be treated as unimportant simply because it is difficult to measure in financial terms.
Admittedly, shorter weeks may be harder to introduce in sectors that require continuous staffing. Employers would need to plan shifts carefully and ensure adequate operational coverage, rather than simply compressing the same workload into fewer days. A gradual trial could help organisations identify workable schedules without compromising services.
Overall, I agree that the working week should be shorter and the weekend longer. With thoughtful planning, this change can support workers’ wellbeing while preserving effective and reliable work.
Targeted Improvement Tips
Related examples for this topic
Compare different bands on the same IELTS prompt.
As modern workplaces continue to evolve, there has been a vigorous debate over the structure of the traditional five-day workweek. Many argue that reducing the number of working...
Band 8.0Many people argue that the workweek should be shortened to provide workers with a longer weekend. However, I strongly disagree with this idea, as it could lead to various issues...
Band 7.0There is an optimistic notion that the working week should be shorter and employees should have more weekends, while other people beg to differ. I can see both sides of this arg...
Band 6.0It is a widely acknowledged fact that almost all people work 5 days at the weekdays – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday – and rest 2 days at the weekend – Saturday an...
Band 5.0In the contemporary era, having a job has presented us with a number of challenges and decisions. None of which is too rudimentary to ignore. However, the crux of the matter is...
Band 4.0Nowadays people are working a lot of time on weekdays, instead of that workers should take longer break on week. I completely agree that having longer weekend. Firstly, being in...