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)

Schools play imperative role in children life. In many other states, primary and secondary schools held summer holidays for atleast two months or three months.

I firmly believed that its in a favour of children so they can spend their whole day with their parents and some relatives.

To commence with, in Pakistan schools remained closed from June to mid of August. It is a very happy moment for children because they were anxiously waiting for these holidays. Moreover, they have already made plans where they will visit in upcoming days. Scarce individuals go to northern areas and many children visit to their relatives.

To illustrate with, when i was a child, i started to count days at the end of the May because i always got excited for the holidays. As there was no work load in summer. No rush to wake up early in the morning. Just have to packed our bags to visit our grandparents home. It was always a pleasure time.

On the other hand, many schools remained closed for six to eight months because of winter weather or a viral disease like Corona. As i am not in the favour of long school holidays beacuse they always upset children mind and no growth has seen in extended holidays. Furthermore, long vacations always cause trouble for parents.

For instance, viral disease Corona spread in Pakistan almost 5 years ago. Schools were remained closed for almost a year and children were having no activity at home. Even attraction towards study had been diverted.

In conclusion, i agree with two months summer holidays beacuse it gives benefit to both children and parents.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions and give a clear overall view: long summer breaks let children spend time with family, while extended closures can disrupt learning and burden parents. The personal memory of counting down to the holidays and the example of school closures during COVID make the response relevant. However, the value of long holidays is mainly described as enjoyment and family visits; explain more fully how rest, travel, or other activities benefit children. The case for shorter holidays is also only partly developed: you mention lost study habits and parental difficulties, but do not explain how a shorter break would improve learning or solve these problems. Develop each side with clearer reasons and specific support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “To commence with,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the shift from summer holidays to schools being closed for six to eight months introduces a different issue without clearly connecting it to the argument for shorter holidays. Some linking phrases feel mechanical, and the personal example is not always smoothly connected to the main point. Organise each body paragraph around one central claim, then explain and illustrate it in sequence; use references such as “these breaks” clearly to avoid abrupt shifts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “summer holidays,” “viral disease,” “extended holidays,” and “attraction towards study,” and the reader can generally understand your intended meaning. There are also attempts at more expressive language, such as “anxiously waiting” and “a pleasure time.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or unnatural, as in “imperative role,” “Scarce individuals,” “visit to their relatives,” and “upset children mind.” Spelling and word forms also need attention, including “atleast,” “beacuse,” and “work load.” Build a more reliable range of natural phrases for discussing education and family life, and check collocations and spelling during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause with “because” and a contrast introduced by “On the other hand.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in basic sentence patterns and verb forms are frequent enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “Schools play imperative role in children life,” “schools held summer holidays,” and “Schools were remained closed.” There are also problems with agreement and sentence completeness, as in “As there was no work load in summer” and “Just have to packed our bags.” Practise accurate subject–verb forms, articles, possessives, and complete clauses before adding more complex structures. Careful proofreading would also help clarify tense and punctuation.

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