Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-13

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 schools are off for two or more than two months in summer in numerous countries. It is good for students to spend time with their families and also help them to get some peace of mind from their studies. However there are some cons as well like the students get lazy and that gap in the education also reduce their focus towards studies.

One of the principal benefit is that the student spend more time with there families. As we all known there are a few occasion in which all family come together and spend some quality time with their love once and to do some outing as well so schools holiday provides it. Furthermore, peace of mind students are going to schools daily and doing their homeworks after school classes which exhaust them mentally as well as physically. They need some time to get peace of mind and do some physical activities as well so in that two or more months holiday they are able to do all that thing which relax their mind or a while.

One notable disadvantage is that after more than two months of break from schools the students become a little bit lazy. Like they sleeping late at night and waking up late in the morning as well which make it difficult for them to reach for their classes on time also if they don't had enough sleep in the night they will be sleeping in the class which cause them lack of focus and attention in the class so if they don't get the lecture in classes. May it will effect their results as well.

The merits in my estimation eclipse the demerits due to the fact that students make spend more time for outing and other physical activities with families and get some peace of mind. On the balance the adavntages far outweight the disadvantages because the disadvantages are temporary after a week students will get back to their routine and everything will work out.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: the first two body paragraphs explain family time and rest as benefits, while the next describes possible effects of a long break on students’ routines and concentration. Your final paragraph also makes your view clear that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, the response only partly develops the task. The case for shorter holidays is represented mainly by students becoming lazy and losing focus; it would be stronger with a distinct explanation of how shorter breaks could support learning or make it easier to retain material. Some supporting points, such as family outings and physical activity, are mentioned but not explained with a specific example or clear link to the value of a long holiday.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and disadvantages, and a conclusion. This makes the main direction easy to follow, and transitions such as “Furthermore” and “On the balance” help signal relationships between ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and several sentences contain too many linked points. For example, the paragraph about students’ sleep moves from late nights to arriving late, sleeping in class, and results without clearly separating the steps in the argument. Some references are also unclear, such as “they are able to do all that thing.” Use shorter sentences where ideas change, and make pronouns and linking phrases refer precisely to the point being discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “peace of mind,” “quality time,” “physical activities,” and “focus and attention.” There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “principal benefit” and “the merits … eclipse the demerits.” However, the range is limited by repeated general words such as “students,” “time,” and “things,” and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate. Examples include “love once” for loved ones, “homeworks,” and “get some peace of mind from their studies.” Spelling errors such as “adavntages” and “outweight” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural phrases and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “which” and “because,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in verb agreement and forms, as in “the gap … reduce,” “the student spend,” and “they don't had enough sleep.” Articles, plurals, and sentence construction also need attention; for example, “One of the principal benefit” and “after school classes” are not formed accurately. Some long sentences join several clauses without clear punctuation, making the reasoning harder to follow, particularly in the paragraph about sleep and classroom focus. Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and correctly formed verb, and divide long sentences into shorter units. More accurate control of these patterns would make your ideas easier to understand.

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