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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 2 Band 5.0 Example

Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.

295 words AcademicTask 2
Task 2

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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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

  1. Introduce the proposal in your own words and state your position clearly.
  2. Explain how a shorter week could benefit workers’ wellbeing and personal responsibilities.
  3. Show how employers might benefit through more focused working practices.
  4. Acknowledge a practical limitation, such as the need for continuous staffing, and suggest a feasible response.
  5. 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

The working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend. DO you agree or disagree?

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 5.0

There is an opinion that people ought to work fewer days a week and have holidays last a longer period. I partly agree with this point of view in as much as it does not benefit for business people, but it may affect productivity and efficiency at the work process positively. The reduction in the number of working days could give employees more time to rest and spend with their families. After a longer break, many workers may return with more energy and concentration. As a result, they could complete tasks more carefully and make fewer mistakes. This is especially possible when employers measure results rather than simply the hours that staff spend at their desks.

However, a shorter week may create difficulties for business people and organisations. If a company needs to provide services every day, it may have to employ extra staff or ask existing workers to cover additional shifts. Both options can increase costs, and small businesses may find this difficult. Customers may also be dissatisfied if they cannot contact a company as easily as before. Therefore, reducing working days does not automatically benefit every employer.

In my view, the best solution is not to shorten the week in exactly the same way for every workplace. Employers could test a four-day schedule where the work can be organised efficiently, while businesses that need daily coverage could use rotating shifts. They should also check whether the same amount of work is completed and whether service quality remains good. A gradual trial would allow managers to identify problems before making the arrangement permanent.

Overall, I partly agree that workers should have a longer weekend. It may improve well-being and productivity, but the change should be planned carefully so that business needs are not ignored.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Rewrite the opening as two sentences: state your partial agreement first, then distinguish the possible productivity benefit from the possible cost to businesses.
2
Develop one business concern with a concrete explanation—for instance, how a service that operates daily might need rotating shifts or additional staff.
3
Review the essay for prepositions and collocations, especially “benefit someone,” “at work,” and “have a positive effect on something.”

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