Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-06

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 numerous countries, during summer vacations schools of primary and secondary levels get close for two months or more. In my opinion, higher school holidays can help improve mental and physical health of students and students can spend quality time with their families. Most of the people are against of long term vacations because they think it can reduce the interest of studies in children and can suppress their creativity skills.

As far as I am concerned maximum holidays can enhance the mental and physical health of students and can give them some free time to spend with their family members. Initially, continuous schooling without taking break can effect the children's health, when they take long break their minds can feel fresh and they can study better. Moreover, during vacations students play different games and do various activities, which is very beneficial for their physical fitness. Lastly, when young students go to school regularly they don not get enough time to spend with their parents and other members of family, which can develop a sense of abundance in their minds. Furthermore, for their character development it is very significant for them to interact with their families rather than being a book worm. For example, children's of doctor parents do not get a chance to spend some time with their parents, which make them a confused and conservative personality person.

Some people argued that schools should give short term holidays because they consider that it can decrease their educational interest and can demolish their creativity skills. Firstly, when students spend excess amount of free time they can lack interest in studies, which can effect their grades in exams. Additionally, holidays can build a characteristic of spending leisure time in students, because they can get a chance to do different fun activities, which can effect their studies after rejoining schools. Secondly, when students go to school they can interact with various people of different caliber, which can enhance their creativity skills. In addition with, children can do group studies and also fun activities that can be advantageous for their brain. For instance, children who go to institutes regularly are more active than children who prefer studies at home by a tutor.

In conclusion, although long school vacations are very helpful for children's mental and physical health and can give a opportunity to spend some time with their family members, while some people believe that schools should give short term holidays because children can reduce interest in studies and can waste their creativity.

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. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and relies on generalizations. For instance, the claim that children of doctors become 'confused and conservative' is an unsupported and illogical assertion that weakens the argument. While the main points are relevant, the supporting examples lack depth and precision. To reach a higher band, you should focus on providing more logical, evidence-based explanations rather than anecdotal or sweeping generalizations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Lastly', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'In addition with' and 'As far as I am concerned' (which is used incorrectly to introduce a general argument rather than a personal opinion). Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to avoid a repetitive structure where every point starts with a simple transition word.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks sophistication. There are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'get close' instead of 'close', 'effect' instead of 'affect' (a recurring error), and 'demolish their creativity' instead of 'stifle' or 'hinder'. The phrase 'sense of abundance' is used incorrectly in the context of family time. While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary, the range is limited, and the errors occasionally draw attention to the language rather than the content.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('children's of doctor parents', 'people argued that schools should give'), word form ('conservative personality person'), and the persistent confusion between 'affect' and 'effect'. Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction is often clunky. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band, as the control over complex structures is not consistent.

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