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)

Nowadays many primary and secondary schools around the world are giving students a long break during summer. In my opinion giving a long break during summer is necessary because in many countries during the summer, temperature reaches as high as 45C degrees and conducting school in those high temperatures is very dangerous for the kids and thier parents. Conversely, some argue that giving long hoildays make it difficult for the parents to manage their children and harder for the kids to get back to school once they reopen. In this essay I will discuss the reasons behind my opinion with relevant examples.

Giving long school hoildays help children to spend their time with their family and go on vacations. Moreover, many kids go to their grandparents and make a lot of memories. Furthermore, in summer in many countries the temperature reaches very high and its dangerous for the kids to stay outside for long and can cause heat strokes. Therefore, it is crucial for schools both primary and secondary to give hoildays during the summer season.

On the other hand, many argue in favour of shorter hoildays than a long break ,their reasons include like it will make harder for parents to manage the kids at home for long periods of time and some younger kids will start crying when schools reopean as they are adjusted to the hoildays. Subsequently, giving log break effect school staff as there will be no work and school administration might look to reduce staff. Many people who depend on schools for their livelihood will be effected like people who sell food, clothes, toys, books, etc.

In conclusion, giving long hoildays is very important during summers to avoid getting kids exposed to extreme heat. While some may argue in favour of shorter hoildays it does't matter much in long run.

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 superficial. For example, the argument regarding the economic impact on school-related businesses is mentioned but not fully explained or linked back to the core debate. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments lack depth and specific examples, relying on general statements. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed reasoning or illustrative examples rather than listing several points briefly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'On the other hand' to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. Additionally, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is a bit abrupt. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a more unified central theme.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You use basic terms like 'long break' and 'make it difficult' repeatedly. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'hoildays' (repeatedly), 'reopean', and 'effected' (used instead of 'affected'). These errors are noticeable and detract from the overall quality of the writing. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated vocabulary related to education and social issues, and ensure you proofread for common spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'giving long school hoildays help' (subject-verb agreement), 'it does't matter' (missing apostrophe), and 'temperature reaches as high as 45C degrees' (redundant phrasing). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not prevent communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Increasing your control over complex sentence structures and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy will help improve your score.

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

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