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)

School is the primary source of education for the children. The prompt says many in many countries primary and seconadry schools close for two or more months in the summer holidays. I believe long school vacation has some benefits but it has lots of drawback that we should also consider.

The value of long school vacation is that in many cold- region country children doesn't get a lot of times to enjoy the sunny day and play around in the field freely. So, for those region children summer holifdays are the only days when children can go outside and play in the ground.It helps the students to improve their physcial strength and they can do several volunteer work such as tree plantation, cleaning the nature program etc. For those cold-region country long summer vacation is really a fruitful vacation to develop their mental and physical health.

However , it is also argued that longer summer vacation can distract student from their academic study as children get involved in other activities too closely that they avoidto do their homework or academic projects due to longer deadline. Again, longer vacation can create a boredom in children's mind and they will eventually lose their stamina and passion for any further activities. So, shorter vacation can give great favour in some cases. Knowing they has short holidays, student can prioritse and organize their activity in holidays and they will have enough time later to complete their academic when schools will reopen. By shorter enjoying shorter vacation, they will not feel boredom as they know they have limited time to enjoy their vacation. It will help them to fully invested in it and after the vaction they ha

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions and present a relevant contrast: long holidays allow children in colder regions to play outdoors and take part in activities such as tree planting, while shorter breaks may help them maintain academic routines and avoid boredom. This gives the response a clear central position that long holidays have benefits but also drawbacks. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The benefits are tied mainly to cold-weather countries, and the case for shorter holidays would be stronger with a clearer explanation of how shorter breaks support learning or reduce the need to relearn material. The final point about students using limited holiday time effectively is promising, but it needs fuller explanation and a complete conclusion that directly answers both questions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on the value of long holidays, and a paragraph presenting reasons for shorter breaks. Contrast markers such as “However” and “Again” help signal shifts between ideas. Nevertheless, progression within the second body paragraph becomes difficult to follow, particularly in “Knowing they has short holidays” and the repeated phrase “By shorter enjoying shorter vacation.” Some links are also mechanical, and references such as “those region” do not clearly identify the countries or children being discussed. The response ends abruptly, so the argument lacks a concluding stage. Use one main idea per paragraph, connect each reason to its consequence, and finish with a brief summary of your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “academic study,” “volunteer work,” “physical strength,” and “boredom,” and phrases such as “tree plantation” show an attempt to be specific. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning harder to follow. Examples include “long school vacation,” “sunny day,” “create a boredom,” and “do several volunteer work.” Spelling errors such as “seconadry,” “holifdays,” “physcial,” and “vaction” also reduce accuracy. Aim to use natural collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe students as “taking part in volunteer activities” and say that a break “can become boring” rather than “create a boredom.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “Knowing they has short holidays, student can prioritse and organize their activity.” However, complex constructions are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make parts of the response difficult to read. For example, “children doesn't get” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, while “they has” and “student can” also show agreement and number problems. Articles and sentence construction are inconsistent in phrases such as “create a boredom in children's mind.” The final sentence is incomplete, ending with “after the vaction they ha,” which leaves the grammar and meaning unfinished. Practise accurate agreement, articles, and complete sentence forms before adding more complex structures.

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