Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-06

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)

Education plays an important role in every students life because it helps them learn new things and build a better future . In many countries , primary and secondary schools remain closed for two months even longer during the summer seasons .Some people like long holidays , but other people like short holidays . I think both have some benefits .

First of all , holidays are for good students . Students study for the whole year and feel tried and they need some time relax . During holidays , they can spend time with their families and friends . They can also visit to new places and plays games . Moreover, they can learn new skills and enjoys their free time . Long holidays , are also good for health , because they can well and feel fresh.

On the other hands, short holidays are also useful for students . If students stay at home for long time , they can forget their lessons . Short holidays help them stay connected with their studies and they can also learn more in school . Teachers can complete their lessons time . Parents also do not need to worry too much about their childrens daily routine .

In my opinion , short holidays are better because students can study regularly and improve knowledge . However , students can also need to some free time enjoys their lives .

In conclusion, long holidays give students time to relax , while short holidays help them focus on their studies. Both are important , I prefer short holidays .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: the paragraph beginning “First of all” explains benefits of long holidays, while the next paragraph gives reasons for shorter breaks, including retaining lessons and maintaining routine. Your preference for shorter holidays is also stated clearly at the end. However, the ideas remain general and are only briefly explained. For example, you say students may “forget their lessons” but do not explain how shorter breaks help learning or give a relevant example. The value of long holidays is also presented mainly as rest and family time, with little development of how this benefits students. To strengthen the response, explain each main point with a specific consequence or example and make your position more consistently clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, your preference, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “First of all,” “On the other hands,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion, and the ideas generally progress in a sensible order. This meets the lower-band expectation for clear organisation and shows some movement towards more flexible cohesion. However, the linking is often formulaic, and several ideas are listed rather than connected through explanation. For instance, the long-holiday paragraph moves from family time to travel, games, skills, and health without showing how these points relate. Use a wider range of natural transitions and clearer references between sentences, while developing each paragraph around a central idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main points, including “summer,” “lessons,” “daily routine,” “relax,” and “improve knowledge.” However, the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, spelling, and word-form errors make the writing less natural. Examples include “holidays are for good students,” “feel tried,” “visit to new places,” and “learn new skills and enjoys their free time.” These choices sometimes make the intended meaning unclear or awkward, even though the overall message can be understood. Build a more precise set of phrases for discussing education and wellbeing, and check that verbs and nouns fit naturally together. Replacing repeated general words such as “good” and “learn” with more specific alternatives would also improve precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You communicate mainly through simple sentences and make some attempts to join ideas with clauses, as in “If students stay at home for long time, they can forget their lessons.” However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and frequent errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction reduce accuracy. Examples include “every students life,” “they can well,” “Teachers can complete their lessons time,” and “students can also need to some free time enjoys their lives.” These errors can make the reader pause to interpret the meaning. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and verb patterns, and build controlled complex sentences using clauses such as “because,” “while,” and “if.” Proofreading each sentence for a complete, correctly formed verb phrase would help.

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