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)

Vacation is the favourite part of the children in the school. In some nation, primary and secondary schools are give a long holiday to the in summer. This essay shall discuss the values and reason of vacation.

To commence with, vacation play crucial role to develop children's brain and physical growth. It is cover two to three month in the year of the child. During this time period primary students can learn new things other than study task. Another one factor that, it reduce the stress level of student and they can more focus after the period of holidays. It is integral to get refreshment from studies and learning new thing in available time. In addition, it important to give break from study between two standard.

On the contrary, the shorter school holiday may build stressful environment to the children and make them unfocused. Children will

stuck with the studies if they are constantly focused in education, it may be harmful for the student's physical as well mental health. It will lead to mental health issue. Furthermore, personal development and essential skill may lack with the growth of children. Also government should encourage to school for provide more duration of vacation for enjoyment of students. It is true that schools are give moral values to children however, shorter duration of holiday may affect home environment For intense, it may affect relation with family and create distance between child and family.

To put it in nutshell, i strongly believe that children should get longer vacation. And children should utilize that time with valuable activities to challenge upcoming generation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay 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 'mental health' is mentioned but not fully explained or supported with specific examples. The position is clear, but the reasoning lacks depth and sophistication. To improve, you should expand on your points by explaining the 'why' and 'how' behind your arguments, rather than just stating them. The response is balanced, but the lack of detailed supporting evidence limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'On the contrary', and 'In addition'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural (e.g., 'Another one factor that'). Additionally, there are instances where the flow between sentences is disjointed, such as the transition between the benefits of holidays and the mention of 'two standard'. Improving the variety and precision of your linking words will help your ideas flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite repetitive and lacks precision. You use basic terms like 'study task' and 'new things' which could be replaced with more academic alternatives. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'schools are give a long holiday' and 'government should encourage to school'. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary, including less common lexical items, and ensure that your word choices are accurate and appropriate for an academic context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'vacation play crucial role'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'schools are give'), and missing articles. While the meaning is generally understandable, these persistent errors demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, particularly verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, before attempting more complex grammatical forms.

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

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