Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries, primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays.

What is the value of long school holidays?

What are the arguments in favour of shorter school holidays?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Around the world ,there are numerous countries in which summer vaccations for the primary and high schools are mandatory for 2-3 months .However there are a lot of benefits of doing holidays in the summer season as it is too hot many students get ill thus it prevents the health of children.But some of the people support few holidays because it maintains the connectivity between the students and their studies.

In the asian countries like India ,Pakistan,and Bangladesh it is necessity to do summer vaccations in both the primary and higher schools .However it has a number of advantages such as it prevents the students from getting ill due to the hot weather and high temperature .This due to the climatic conditions of these countries .Moreover there are other benefits like it helps the school officials to make needed improvements where required in the schools, it allows children to get a rest from study and improve their physical health and start with a new mindset after the holidays.

In contrast , a number of people disagrees with this rule and support short term vaccations . There are many reasons behind it like long holidays affects the studies of the children, the bonding between student and their books becomes weak due to a large gap.In addition also affects the income of school staff and owners of the schools.However short holidays gives a good reset to the students and their mind and it also do not affect the employees working in their schools.

In conclusion, vaccations are good if they are used and made in the right way . There should be a rule implemented for the proper time period allowed for the school holidays by the governments.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: the first body paragraph explains benefits of long holidays, including protection from hot weather, rest, and time for school improvements; the next gives reasons for shorter breaks, such as maintaining study habits and avoiding disruption to school employees’ income. These points are relevant, and your conclusion recommends setting an appropriate holiday period. However, several ideas are asserted rather than explained. For example, the claim that long breaks weaken students’ connection with books would be stronger with a brief explanation or example, and the effect on staff income is not clearly linked to holiday length. Your position on the best balance also remains general. Develop and support the main points more fully, and make your preferred approach explicit throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the broad progression, and signposts such as “In contrast” make the shift to arguments for shorter holidays clear. However, links between some ideas are mechanical or unclear. In the second paragraph, the move from children’s health to school improvements and then rest is abrupt; grouping related benefits and explaining their connection would improve flow. The opening sentence of the third paragraph also combines several reasons without clear separation. Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s focus, and connect supporting points with clearer references and transitions rather than relying mainly on “Moreover,” “In addition,” and “However.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “climatic conditions,” “physical health,” “mindset,” and “short term vacations.” There is also some attempt to express less familiar ideas, such as the “bonding between student and their books.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including repeated misspellings of “vacations,” “necessity” where a more natural expression is needed, and “connectivity” for the relationship between students and their studies. Some phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “do holidays” and “a good reset.” Aim for accurate collocations and consistent spelling, and choose precise terms such as “school break,” “learning continuity,” and “academic progress” to express your points more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, using clauses with “because,” “as,” and “where,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, errors in sentence structure and agreement occur across the response. For example, “This due to the climatic conditions” is missing a verb, while “a number of people disagrees” and “short holidays gives” have subject–verb agreement problems. In “long holidays affects the studies,” the plural subject also requires a plural verb. Several sentences run ideas together without adequate punctuation, particularly in the introduction and the paragraph beginning “In contrast.” Practise building complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs, and check agreement and punctuation when combining clauses.

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