Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-10
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)
It is true that an increasing number of countries, during summer vacation, foundational and secondary schools stay closed for longer periods of time. While longer vacation enables students and teachers to take a break from hectic life, and explore new skills and places, shorter periods of holiday allows them to stay constant and focused on studies.
On the one hand, One primary aspect of longer holiday in schools in summer is that it gives an opportunity to students and teacher to gap from academic world. In this period of time, many students and teacher visit several tourist spots of their counties as well as abroad. It not only enhance their knowledge about different culture and countries, but also unwind and refreshed their mind. For instance, European students and teacher travel in many others countries during summer season. In addition, numerous numbers of pupils learn some practical skills in these periods of time which is quite essential for the future employment opportunity. As a result, a growing number countries are following these keep closed schools for a longer period of time.
On the other hand, there are a number of arguments to support shorter schools holidays. To begin with, long study gap prevent students to remain focused and constant in their academic life, so students become uninterest in studies after huge vacation. Secondly, shorter vacation enables teachers to more classes in academic year which is effective to complete academic syllabus in time. Therefore, to stay focuses and constant shorter holidays are more effective.
In conclusion, longer holidays allows students to relax and learn diferernt new skills which is required for the better future. While shorter vacation is also important to remain constant and motivated
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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, such as the benefits of travel and skill acquisition for long holidays, and the need for academic continuity for shorter ones. However, the development is somewhat limited. For example, the point about 'practical skills' is mentioned but not elaborated upon with specific examples. The position is clear throughout, but the conclusion is slightly abrupt and lacks a final synthesis of the two sides. To reach a higher band, ensure that each main idea is supported by a more detailed explanation or a concrete example.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'In addition', and 'To begin with', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'As a result, a growing number countries are following these keep closed schools'. Additionally, there are some issues with referencing and flow, such as the repetitive use of 'in these periods of time'. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'hectic life', 'academic syllabus', and 'employment opportunity'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'stay constant' (instead of 'maintain focus'), 'uninterest in studies' (instead of 'lose interest'), and 'gap from academic world'. Spelling errors like 'diferernt' also occur. To improve, focus on learning collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical form.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of the writing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('shorter periods of holiday allows', 'students and teacher visit'), missing articles ('in many others countries'), and awkward phrasing ('following these keep closed schools'). Punctuation is generally functional, but some sentences are slightly disjointed. While the errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.