Cambridge 19 Writing Task 2 Test 2 - Sample Answers (Band 9 to 4-5)

As concerns about work-life balance and burnout have grown in recent years, there have been increasing calls to shorten the standard working week, and I largely agree that this would benefit both workers and, in many cases, employers themselves.

There is growing evidence supporting shorter working weeks. Several large-scale trials of four-day working weeks, conducted in countries including the UK and Iceland, found that most participating companies maintained or even increased their productivity despite employees working fewer hours, while employee stress and burnout decreased substantially and reported job satisfaction rose considerably. This suggests that traditional five-day weeks may have relied on assumptions about productivity that simply do not hold up under proper testing.

A shorter working week would also likely benefit society more broadly, since workers with more leisure time tend to spend more on entertainment, travel, and family activities, potentially stimulating local economies, while also having more time available for exercise, sleep, and family relationships, all of which contribute to improved long-term public health outcomes.

However, I recognise this change is not equally practical for every industry. Sectors requiring continuous staffing, such as healthcare, emergency services, and certain manufacturing operations, cannot simply reduce total working hours without either reducing service availability or requiring more staff to cover the same hours, which may not always be financially feasible for every organisation.

In conclusion, while implementing a shorter working week may not be straightforward for every industry, I largely agree that it represents a genuinely positive direction for the future of work, given the mounting evidence that reduced hours need not come at the cost of reduced productivity.

As concerns about work-life balance have grown in recent years, there have been calls to shorten the working week, and I largely agree this would benefit both workers and often employers too.

There is growing evidence supporting this idea. Several trials of four-day working weeks, in countries such as the UK and Iceland, found that most companies maintained or even increased their productivity despite employees working fewer hours, while employee stress decreased and job satisfaction increased significantly. This suggests that traditional five-day weeks may not actually be necessary for good productivity.

A shorter working week would likely benefit society too, since workers with more free time tend to spend more on entertainment, travel, and family activities, which could help local economies, while also having more time for exercise, sleep, and family relationships, which benefits public health.

However, I recognise this is not equally practical for every industry. Sectors that need continuous staffing, such as healthcare and emergency services, cannot simply reduce total hours without reducing service availability or needing more staff, which may not always be affordable.

In conclusion, while a shorter working week may not be easy to introduce in every industry, I largely agree it is a positive direction for the future of work, given the growing evidence that fewer hours do not necessarily mean lower productivity. Governments and businesses could work together gradually, perhaps by trialling shorter weeks in less time-sensitive sectors first, before deciding whether a wider rollout across the whole economy makes sense in the long term.

Many people now think the working week should be shorter, so workers can have a longer weekend. I agree with this idea.

There is evidence supporting this. Some countries, such as the UK and Iceland, have tried four-day working weeks, and most companies found that productivity stayed the same or even improved, while workers felt less stressed and happier with their jobs.

A shorter working week could also help society, because workers with more free time might spend more money on activities like travel, and they would also have more time to exercise and spend with their family, which is good for their health.

However, this might not work for every industry. Jobs like healthcare or emergency services need workers all the time, so it would be harder to reduce hours without hiring more staff, which can be expensive.

In conclusion, I agree that a shorter working week is a good idea, even though it might be difficult to introduce in some industries. Employers could try introducing shorter weeks gradually, starting with departments or industries where it is easier to manage, such as office-based jobs, before considering whether to expand the idea more widely across the whole economy. This step-by-step approach would allow companies to see the real effects on productivity for themselves before making a bigger commitment, which might make more employers willing to try it in the first place. Governments could also support this transition by offering guidance and incentives to businesses that want to pilot the change.

Many people now think the working week should be shorter, so worker can have a longer weekend. I agree with this idea.

There is evidence supporting this. Some country, such as the UK and Iceland, have tried four-day working week, and most company found that productivity stay the same or even improve, while worker felt less stressed and happier with their job.

A shorter working week could also help society, because worker with more free time might spend more money on activity like travel, and they would also have more time to exercise and spend with their family, which is good for their health.

However, this might not work for every industry. Job like healthcare or emergency service need worker all the time, so it would be harder to reduce hour without hiring more staff, which can be expensive.

In conclusion, I agree that a shorter working week is good idea, even though it might be difficult to introduce in some industry. Employer could try introducing shorter week gradually, starting with department or industry where it is easier to manage, such as office-based job, before considering whether to expand the idea more widely across the whole economy. This step-by-step approach would allow company to see the real effect on productivity for themselves before making a bigger commitment, which might make more employer willing to try it in the first place. Government could also support this transition by offering clear guidance and incentive to business that want to pilot the change soon.