Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-07

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 most part of the world,primary and secondary schools stay shut down for almost a quarter of an year in the name of summer holidays.This part of the curriculum comes in the summer season typically starting from 1st of June where students are given long holidays.

This period holds great significance for students in their entire year's schedule as it brings joy and excitement for them.Students usually wait all year long for this period to initialize so that they can execute their plans already planned way before.For some students, summer holidays are the best days to go on a trip to escape the academic pressure enforced on them.Nowadays,students are taught to run before academic excellence rather than enjoying and learning naturally.Student's routine is so hectic in present so they start finding studying a monotonous stuff.They are taught to compete and win in the class competitions by hooks or by crooks ignoring their interests.Therefore,these holidays serves as a great escape route for them to able to breath freely without any outside noise and competetion.Also some students utilize this time to enhance their skills by doing some sort of course or taking some classes in accordance with their interests.This period of time also brings them closer to their family and friends who are a great source of enjoyment.Students also give much time to their favourite sport which is beneficial for their physical as well as mental health.

However,holidays of such lengths can outtrack the students from learning as they become used to doing whatever except studying.Students often forget the previous learnings and stuggle heavily after rejoining the classes after the holidays.They may fall a prey to bad habits in this period as they are deattached from studies and daily busy routine.Students usually take weeks to come back to their usual schedule and prepare their brain to start remembering stuff from the past.

In my opinion,extended holidays are a great source of refreshment but should be spended in a good company and are utilized to work on one's weakness.This quality time should be used to enhance one's skills not just to escape from the studies.

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 ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. For instance, you discuss the mental health benefits and the opportunity for skill development as positive aspects, while noting the 'learning loss' and difficulty in re-adjusting as negative impacts. However, the development is occasionally repetitive, particularly in the first body paragraph regarding student stress. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is distinct and supported by more specific examples or logical consequences. The position is clear throughout, and the conclusion effectively summarizes your stance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Therefore', 'Also', and 'However', to transition between ideas. However, the flow is sometimes hindered by mechanical or slightly awkward phrasing, such as 'This period of time also brings them closer'. Additionally, some sentences are linked in a way that feels repetitive. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally from the previous one would enhance the overall coherence. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'curriculum', 'monotonous', and 'refreshment'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choices and non-standard collocations, such as 'initialize' instead of 'begin', 'outtrack' instead of 'distract' or 'derail', and 'fall a prey' instead of 'fall prey'. Additionally, there are minor spelling errors like 'competetion' and 'deattached'. While these errors do not impede communication, they limit the score. To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more precise academic vocabulary rather than relying on informal phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'In most part of the world' (should be 'In most parts'), 'a quarter of an year' (should be 'a year'), and 'holidays serves' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after periods in several places. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and proofreading for basic punctuation and spelling to improve your accuracy.

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

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