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)

Longer holidays has become a widely discussed issue these days. In my opinion, The longer rest children recieve the more mental peace they get and The more they get vacation the more they will be distracted from thier studies. This essay will answer both questions, starting with longest holidays.

To start with,The long school holidays . This is because,Giving students the study relief that they only get in a year in the form of summer vacations can help them recover from the academic pressure that they hold till their exams .For instance, A student who puts whole effort potential and focus on his exam will feel exhausted to heal from that he needs a long break from studies. As a result, After the break he feels more confident and more focused and will be able to perform better in his next terms.

Turning to the second question, Some people argue that vacations should not last more than 2 months. This is because It became a generational thinking. For instance, If I talk about my own self or surroundings we always had our vacations in the month of june july since our childhood, According to parents It happens mainly because long vacations make students less serious about their studies and when they return to thier school they dont take their classes serious. Consequently,It affects their performance,studies and future.

In conclusion, Longer holidays are important for childrens to heal their brain , while shorter holidays keeps student consistent and serious about their studies. Overall, both views have their own pros and cons .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions and present a relevant contrast: long breaks can help students recover from academic pressure, while shorter breaks may help them remain serious and consistent. The example of a student feeling exhausted after exams supports the first point, and your reference to your own school holidays gives the second a personal basis. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The value of long holidays is mainly linked to rest and later focus, while the case for shorter holidays relies heavily on the general claim that students become less serious; explain more clearly how shorter breaks maintain learning or reduce the loss of study habits. Your opening also gives an unclear position, so make your overall view explicit and sustain it throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two questions, and a conclusion. Phrases such as “To start with” and “Turning to the second question” help signal the shift between topics, and the ideas generally follow a sensible order. However, some linking is mechanical, and punctuation around transitions is inconsistent, as in “As a result, After the break” and “Consequently,It affects”. The opening promises to answer both questions but does not clearly preview the argument. Within paragraphs, connect cause and effect more smoothly and make references such as “It” and “that” precise. A clearer progression from claim to explanation to example would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “academic pressure”, “exhausted”, “confident” and “performance”, and these choices help communicate the main ideas. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, sometimes making the meaning less clear. For example, “study relief” and “whole effort potential and focus” do not express the intended ideas naturally, while “heal their brain” is an imprecise way to describe recovery. Spelling errors such as “recieve”, “thier” and “childrens” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise set of phrases for rest, learning continuity and academic performance, and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the conditional-style example beginning “A student who puts…” and the cause-and-effect sentence “As a result…”. However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence boundaries can make the reader pause. Examples include “Longer holidays has become”, “the longer rest children recieve the more…”, and “shorter holidays keeps student”. Some sentences are also incomplete or awkwardly punctuated, such as “To start with,The long school holidays.” Aim first for accurate subject–verb agreement and complete sentences, then use longer structures with clear clauses. Consistent punctuation and capitalisation will also improve readability.

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