Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-10

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)

Primary and secondary school holidays in some countries are really important because summers are really hot in some countries .Many countries give summer holidays to primary and secondary school going childrens for two to three months. In my opinion long school holidays are very beneficial for childrens mental and physical health and also a source of energy power saving in underdeveloped countries. However, some people argue that shorter school holidays are more important.

Firstly, in some countries the summers are really hot and temperature reaches upto 50 degree centigrade .The long school holidays will safe children from mental and physical diseases .For example, in hot summers there are chances of dehydration ,loose motions and many other diseases so the childrens will be at home and safe from these situations .Another value is that most of the families go to hilly areas for holidays so children will b mentally relaxed from alll year busy and hectic school schedule.They will get some quality time to spend with their families .Due to high temperature in summers there will be need of airconditioned for children in schools .So due to the closure of schools we can safe alot of electricity .

On the other hand, some people are in favour of shorter school holidays .They think that at home in holidays children dont learn properly as they learn in schools .There rhythem of learning in distracted .For exampe,most of the time children in holidys play difrent types of games all the day and use social media nd mobiles .

In conclusion,long school holidays have both advantages and disadvantages however ,the mental and physical health of children is really important for parents.Additionally the energy saving is also necasaary for the poor countries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both questions and gives a clear general view: long holidays support children’s health and family time, while shorter breaks may help maintain learning. The examples about heat, dehydration and children spending time on games or social media are relevant. However, the discussion is uneven: the case for long holidays has several points, while the argument for shorter holidays is brief and not developed beyond the claim that learning is disrupted. Some claims, such as saving electricity in poorer countries, would be stronger with clearer explanation or a specific example. To improve, explain how shorter breaks could prevent children from forgetting material or help teachers maintain learning progress, and develop each main point with a reason or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph supporting long holidays, a contrasting paragraph and a conclusion. “Firstly” and “On the other hand” help signal the main stages, and the ideas within the first body paragraph are generally related to the benefits of a summer break. However, progression is limited: several different benefits are placed together without clear separation, and the shorter-holiday paragraph is much less developed. Some links are repetitive or awkward, and the conclusion introduces the importance of parents and poor countries without fully drawing together the two sides. Use one focused paragraph for each question, connect each example explicitly to its main point, and make the conclusion summarise the comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, and the response attempts relevant terms such as “dehydration,” “hectic school schedule,” “quality time” and “energy saving.” However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning less clear. Examples include “energy power saving,” “safe children from” and “There rhythem of learning in distracted”; these do not express the intended ideas naturally. Spelling errors such as “holidys,” “difrent” and “necasaary” also reduce control. Build a more accurate set of topic phrases and check spelling and collocations. For instance, use “protect children from heat-related illness” and “disrupt their learning routine” rather than translating ideas word by word.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “so” and “that,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles and punctuation occur frequently and can make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “The long school holidays will safe children” has an incorrect verb construction, while “There rhythem of learning in distracted” does not form a complete, accurate clause. There are also problems with plural forms and sentence boundaries, as in “children dont learn properly as they learn in schools .” Practise building accurate basic sentences first, then add subordinate clauses. Pay particular attention to subject–verb agreement, articles, plural nouns and punctuation between clauses.

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