Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

In many countries, primary and secondary schools close for two or more months in summer holidays due to the hot weather and intensity of heat in peak summer.

Longer school summer holidays provide children more time to focus on extracurricular activities such as arts or sports. Children can focus on tasks that requires creativity such as paintings, or on maintaining a good physical health by partaking in different sports such as basketball, football, badminton etc. They can also enrol in summer camps to gather with children of different backgrounds and schools to socialize and learn in an supervised, protected environment. Meanwhile, shorter school holidays provide children with enough time to rest, play and to get back to their studies without feeling lethargic or forgetting previously learned topics due to not studying in the break.

From where I am, the summers the brutal. It is very hot and humid, and the heatwaves goes on for weeks. The extreme intensity of heat causes dehydration. There are broadcasted message on television which tells about what to do if someone faints from dehydration or about the protective measures to take when going out of home. The boradcast also tells about the nearest water refill centers and advises us to not go out in extreme heat until its an emergency. The hospitals and ambulances emergency numbers are also repeated for dire situations.

In my opinion, summer school holidays should be decided considering the country. For example, like my country, if the country experiences extreme summers for longer time, the schools should be closed, and students should be provided with sufficient amount of homework so that learning never stops. This way, the children will have enough time to focus on their studies during break and also have time to play with their friends after the suns sets to ensure physical health. If the country experiences shorter summer spells, the holidays can be shorter, allowing children to go back to schools early.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: the benefits of longer holidays are linked to extracurricular activities, sports and socialising, while shorter breaks are said to help pupils rest and return before they forget material. The final paragraph also gives a relevant view that holiday length should reflect local climate. However, the two sides are not developed equally. The case for shorter holidays is brief, and the discussion of extreme heat takes up substantial space without clearly explaining how it demonstrates the value of long holidays or weighing that value against shorter breaks. The position is present but could be stated more directly and supported with a specific example. To strengthen the response, explain the educational and family benefits of a long break and develop the shorter-holiday argument with comparable detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable paragraph structure, moving from the two sets of benefits to local climate and then to a concluding opinion. Some linking is effective, particularly “Meanwhile” when introducing the shorter-holiday argument and “For example” before the country-specific recommendation. However, progression is uneven: the long paragraph about heat, broadcasts and emergency services interrupts the comparison of holiday lengths, and its connection to the main question is not made explicit. The conclusion repeats the climate-based point rather than drawing together the arguments. Some transitions also feel mechanical, and the opening paragraph combines several ideas without a clear focus. Group the heat evidence with the argument for longer closures, then use a separate paragraph to explain the case for shorter breaks and compare the two.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including “extracurricular activities,” “socialize,” “dehydration,” “heatwaves” and “protective measures.” These choices help communicate ideas about education and climate, and the meaning is generally clear. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural expressions that limit precision, such as “the summers the brutal,” “gather with children,” and “the heatwaves goes on for weeks.” “Broadcasted message” and “physical health” are also less natural in their contexts, and “boradcast” is misspelled. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling, especially in the longer climate paragraph. More precise language for the educational effects of breaks would also help you explain the arguments rather than relying mainly on general terms such as “time” and “focus.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex structures, including a relative clause in “tasks that requires creativity” and conditional sentences in the final paragraph. The overall meaning is usually understandable, but some errors in agreement, articles and sentence construction remain. For example, “tasks that requires” should have a plural verb, while “the summers the brutal” is missing a linking verb. In “There are broadcasted message,” the determiner and noun form do not agree, and “in an supervised” has an article error. The sentence beginning “From where I am” is also incomplete as written. Review subject–verb agreement, articles and complete sentence structure, then proofread punctuation and sentence boundaries. More consistently accurate complex sentences would make your reasoning easier to follow.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.