The working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend. Do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
In recent years, the conventional five-day working week has been increasingly called into question, with growing advocacy for a condensed schedule that affords employees an extended weekend. While detractors argue that such a shift could hinder economic performance, I strongly contend that a shorter working week would yield far-reaching benefits for both individuals and society.
Admittedly, transitioning to a four-day workweek presents a number of practical challenges. A primary concern lies in the potential decline in productivity and the broader economic implications of such a shift. In sectors that demand uninterrupted operations, such as healthcare, retail, emergency services, and public transportation, reducing the number of working days could seriously disrupt continuity and service delivery. For instance, hospitals, fire departments, and ambulance services cannot afford even temporary staffing shortages without risking delays in critical care or emergency response. In addition, attempting to condense five days’ worth of responsibilities into just four may inadvertently lead to extended work hours and heightened daily workloads. This intensification could result in employee fatigue, reduced concentration levels, and a decline in the overall quality of output. Particularly in deadline-driven industries like finance or law, the pressure to meet tight schedules within a shorter time frame may outweigh the advantages of having an additional rest day. This shift, rather than alleviating stress, could ironically foster a more stressful and burnout-prone environment, especially if not carefully implemented with adequate support systems and workflow adjustments.
Nevertheless, I still believe that the long-term benefits of adopting a shorter working week are compelling and multifaceted. Chief among them is the profound improvement in work-life balance. Providing employees with an extra day off allows them more time for rest, family interaction, personal interests, and self-care—factors that are increasingly recognized as crucial to long-term mental and physical well-being. Countries like Iceland have already piloted four-day workweeks on a national scale, reporting overwhelmingly positive results: not only did employee satisfaction and mental health improve, but productivity levels remained stable or even increased. Furthermore, a more rested and fulfilled workforce tends to be more engaged, innovative, and efficient. Employees returning to work after an extended weekend often exhibit sharper focus, higher morale, and greater enthusiasm to perform. This can translate into enhanced problem-solving abilities, more creative thinking, and increased retention, all of which are valuable assets in today’s knowledge-based and competitive economy.
In conclusion, while concerns about reduced output and intensified workdays are not unfounded, the holistic benefits of a shortened working week, ranging from improved mental health to heightened productivity, are too substantial to ignore. With thoughtful implementation and supportive policies, this paradigm shift could pave the way for a healthier, more motivated, and future-ready workforce.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Simplify the verb phrase Original: has been increasingly called into question Suggested revision: is increasingly being questioned Why it matters: The simpler progressive passive is more direct and natural here.
- 2. Use natural wording Original: with growing advocacy for Suggested revision: as support grows for Why it matters: Support grows for is a more natural expression of increasing public approval.
- 3. Use a direct expression Original: A primary concern lies in Suggested revision: A primary concern is Why it matters: The direct copular construction is clearer and more concise.
- 4. Complete the time phrase Original: into just four Suggested revision: into just four days Why it matters: The comparison requires days after four to make the time unit explicit.
- 5. Remove an unnecessary noun Original: reduced concentration levels Suggested revision: reduced concentration Why it matters: Concentration already denotes the relevant capacity, so levels is unnecessary.
- 6. Name the cause clearly Original: This intensification Suggested revision: This heavier workload Why it matters: The revision identifies the precise condition responsible for the stated effects.
- 7. Avoid awkward modification Original: could ironically foster a more stressful and burnout-prone environment Suggested revision: could create a more stressful environment and increase the risk of burnout Why it matters: Burnout-prone describes people more naturally than an environment, so the revision clarifies the risk.
- 8. Use natural phrasing Original: family interaction Suggested revision: time with family Why it matters: Time with family is the more idiomatic expression in this list.
- 9. Clarify performance motivation Original: greater enthusiasm to perform Suggested revision: greater motivation to perform well Why it matters: The revision makes the intended connection between enthusiasm and work performance explicit.
- 10. Specify what is retained Original: increased retention Suggested revision: higher employee retention Why it matters: Naming employees removes ambiguity about what retention means.
Suggested Rewrites
- has been increasingly called into question is increasingly being questioned
- with growing advocacy for as support grows for
- A primary concern lies in A primary concern is
- into just four into just four days
- reduced concentration levels reduced concentration
- This intensification This heavier workload
Why this response received Band 8.5
The response offers a clear position and sustains it through detailed, persuasive analysis, with especially strong language control and effective examples. Its main limitation is that the long opposing paragraph gives several related drawbacks more space than necessary, making the argument somewhat less economical; the highest-priority improvement is to condense overlapping points and devote the saved space to sharper evaluation of how implementation could preserve the proposed benefits.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The question is fully addressed through a consistent position, substantial consideration of practical objections, and well-developed benefits.
Evaluate the proposed implementation safeguards more concretely to make the final endorsement even more convincing.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses clearly and cohesive devices guide the reader effectively, although the two body paragraphs are unusually long.
Divide or streamline the densely developed body paragraphs so each stage of the reasoning is easier to absorb.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is broad, precise, and highly flexible, with natural use of less common expressions across the discussion.
Prefer slightly leaner wording in a few heavily elaborated passages to preserve precision without rhetorical excess.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentence forms are varied and consistently well controlled, with only negligible lapses across the response.
Maintain the same accuracy while occasionally shortening multi-clause sentences to improve pace and emphasis.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
The working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend. Do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.