Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-04

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 the contemporary era, the phenomenon of a long summer vacation of about 2 or more months is ubiquitous across the globe. There are group of individuals that wants to further understand about it's values; however others lean towards the questions about the merits of shorter holidays. Both the answers will be given in the following.

The majority of people who are in favour of longer school holidays would put forward few arguments such as it provides enough time-period for young peers to rest and spend quality time with their loved ones which is very important for their age-group. In addition, it also gives a chance to learn and improve new skills which will be helpful in their future. For instance, many sets of parent enroll their children in summer camps to gain experiences and generate socializing along with distinct activities.

In contrast, there are other groups that support short-term vacations. The first and foremost reason to claim towards it is the time-management by parents who have busy schedules as they are generally unable to prioritize their offspring. It results into the kids feeling left out and unwanted as it affects their mental health deeply at such immature age. Secondly, the long period might affect the academics of students as it disconnects them with the school as well as the various distraction in holidays as they have a lot of leisure time. To exemplify, kinder-garden going children are most likely to forget their basics which they learned earlier and the teachers have to start fresh which takes another few months which delays their progress.

To conclude, there are arguments that justify the importance of both long along with the short school summer vacations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The first body paragraph is quite brief and lacks specific examples to support the claim about 'new skills'. The second body paragraph is more detailed, though the argument regarding 'time-management by parents' is slightly tangential to the educational value of school holidays. The conclusion is very abrupt and fails to summarize the main points effectively, which limits the overall depth of the response. To reach a higher band, ensure each point is fully extended with clear, logical explanations and concrete examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition', 'In contrast', and 'To exemplify', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'claim towards it'. The conclusion is underdeveloped and does not provide a satisfying summary of the arguments presented. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring a more robust concluding paragraph would enhance the flow and coherence of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common items like 'ubiquitous' and 'phenomenon'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'young peers' (referring to children), 'sets of parent', and 'kinder-garden going children'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do highlight a lack of precision. To improve, focus on learning natural collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct context, rather than relying on slightly mismatched academic-sounding vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('There are group of individuals that wants'), incorrect pronoun usage ('it's values' instead of 'its'), and awkward phrasing ('results into the kids feeling'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure occasionally feels clunky. While the meaning is always clear, the frequency of these minor errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and possessive forms would significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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