Task prompt
Read the two texts below. Write an essay that summarises and evaluates their key points. Express the ideas in your own words as far as possible and include your own views on the issue. Write 240–280 words.
Word limit: 280 words
"The Four-Day Working Week" is a C2 Proficiency Writing practice task (essay). Cambridge assesses content, communicative achievement, organisation and language on a scale from 0 to 5 per criterion. Plan before you write: identify the target reader, the required register and the number of points you must address. At C2, examiners expect sophisticated vocabulary used accurately, varied sentence structures and clear paragraphing.
Plan the essay before writing, address every prompt point, keep the expected register, respect the word limit, and use feedback to improve content, organisation, grammar range, and vocabulary precision.
Read the two texts below. Write an essay that summarises and evaluates their key points. Express the ideas in your own words as far as possible and include your own views on the issue. Write 240–280 words.
Word limit: 280 words
A shorter working week could improve productivity by forcing organisations to examine meetings, routines and tasks that consume time without producing much value. Employees who have more time to rest or manage personal responsibilities may be less likely to leave their jobs and better able to concentrate while at work. For knowledge-based roles in particular, measuring output rather than hours spent at a desk may lead to more sensible management and a healthier relationship between work and the rest of life. Trials in varied workplaces could show whether the model produces real improvements or merely transfers pressure from one day to another.
Reducing the number of working days is not equally straightforward in every sector. Hospitals, transport services and small businesses may need additional staff to maintain coverage, increasing costs that cannot easily be absorbed. There is also a risk that employees will simply be expected to complete five days’ work in four, which would turn a promised benefit into greater pressure. Any change should therefore be tested carefully, with attention to workload, staffing and whether the gains are shared across different kinds of employment. A policy designed around flexibility rather than a single timetable may be more fair than a model that assumes every job can change in the same way.