Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-03

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)

For decades, schools have been giving summer holidays to the students especially in hotter countries to prevent the students from heat stroke while some schools are against this activity due to some genuine reasons according to them. I strongly agree with the second type of school's arguments for some reasons.

Initially, primary and secondary schools have been closing in the months of extreme hot months of summer because they argue that they want to save students from the hot wheather which can cause serious health problems. They also claims that students take less interest in studies due to severe wheather conditions and transport is also a serious issue in hot days. Schools also claims that these long holidays are beneficial for physical health of the students because they can participate in different sports activities and can also do their hobbies. For example, in many Soth Asian countries schools usually gave more than 2 months in summer and the students participate in different sports events in this time and even some students visits historical places.

Secondly, some school argue that longer holidays can destroy the educational interest in student and also they fail to complete the syllabus of the semester which ultimately ruin their educational future. These schools always demand shorter holidays from the government for these reasons. For instance, in some countries, schools have started summer camps for one month to reduce the holidays and to cover their syllabus which is giving better results in these countries.

In conclusion, I reach to this point that opinions of both types of schools are correct for the mentioned reasons but I am in favour with the shorter holidays due to their strong reasons.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention health and hobbies for long holidays, and syllabus completion for shorter ones, these points could be expanded with more depth or specific examples. Your position is clear from the introduction, but the conclusion is a bit repetitive. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more detailed explanation of the 'why' behind your arguments, rather than just stating them. The response is balanced, but the depth of analysis is more characteristic of a Band 6 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Initially', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion' to signal the structure. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition between the benefits of long holidays and the drawbacks could be smoother. Additionally, some referencing is slightly repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'these schools' or 'these reasons'. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would help elevate your score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'syllabus', 'semester', and 'heat stroke'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and spelling mistakes, such as 'wheather' (weather), 'Soth' (South), and 'claims' (should be 'claim' to agree with the plural subject 'schools'). The range is somewhat limited, and you rely on fairly simple phrasing. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and ensure accurate spelling of common words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the fluency of the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Schools also claims', 'students visits') and article usage. There are also some awkward phrasings, such as 'I reach to this point that'. While you attempt complex sentences, they are often marred by these small errors. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your verb tenses remain consistent throughout the essay.

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