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 todays world, education is a must to every child and individual across every country. The duration of summer holidays became a major thing in terms of priority in some countries like in middle eastern location. Where as cold countries which experince long winters have concentrated less on summer holidays giving only few weeks for summer vacations.

On the otherside, a regular family would like to spend most of the time in sumiher holidays bg traveling to their homeland, meeting their relatives and seek long durations for summer, so that children can spend valuable time with cousins and relatives making valuable memories. On the other hand, some parents who work 365days would find it dificult to take care of children during summer holidays as they have to work and prefer shorter period of holidays.

This has become a major problem and is afiecting children in a.bad way. Chidhood is to cherish some good valuable memories along with studies. Longer summer breaks allow the children to make time to visit family relatives and this early relationship helps to maintain a stronger bond for the rest of the life. Once they are out of school, they have to work and make a living for themselves where they won't find time for their loved ones,

Coming to shorter school holidays, they help the children from falling back in studies (or) having interest, with longer duration of holidays children take a lot of time to get back their concentration after the school starts It has both positive and negative side to it. Shorter school holidays help the student to maintain concentration, performance but at the same tine they won't form special bonds which are really important.

From my perspective, maintaining strong rlationship bonds is more important than just education which requires a longer duration of summer holidays.

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 is somewhat superficial. While you mention family bonding and academic concentration, the arguments lack depth and specific examples. The introduction is slightly unfocused, discussing regional differences rather than directly answering the prompt. To reach a higher band, ensure your position is clearly stated in the introduction and maintained throughout, and expand on your points with more detailed reasoning or illustrative examples rather than just stating them briefly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'On the otherside' and 'Coming to shorter school holidays'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transitions between paragraphs could be smoother to create a more cohesive flow. Additionally, some sentences are fragmented or run-on, which occasionally disrupts the logical progression of the argument. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help elevate your score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several spelling errors (e.g., 'todays', 'experince', 'sumiher', 'afiecting', 'rlationship') and some word choice issues, such as 'major thing' and 'in a bad way', which are too informal for an academic essay. You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle to incorporate less common or more sophisticated lexical items. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure you proofread for basic spelling errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include missing articles (e.g., 'in middle eastern location'), incorrect verb forms, and punctuation errors. For example, 'Childhood is to cherish some good valuable memories' is grammatically awkward. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents a higher score. Focus on mastering subject-verb agreement, article usage, and ensuring that your complex sentences are punctuated correctly to improve accuracy.

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

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