Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-12

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)

Many continents like Asian, European and affrica multiple countries provide holiday to primary and secondary schools are closed for two months or more in summer season.

Overall, holidays in summer is a great initiative by countries because heat is increasing every summer due to global warming and pollution. Mostly in primary and secondary schools students are under age of 15 it is important to protect them, and also students and staff need a vacation break. Others think school holidays should be shorter and arrange extra curricular activities for primary and secondary schools students.

There are more positive effects than negative of providing summer holidays more or equal to two months for primary and secondary schools students. In many countries like like India, affrica and middle eastern countries had recorded 40 degrees or more temperature in this conditions students can hospitalized. Other reason is students need a long break their current grade completion. And the most value of long school holidays is protecting students and staff from extreme hot conditions.

Some people also argument in favour of shorter school holidays, they bellive more longer holidays distract them from studies. And other think schools should do online classes in summer or they can arrange a vacation for students which invloes teaching them about causes of rise in temperature.

Other bellive holidays shorter to one month.

I Conclude that, there are two arguments regarding summer holidays, i support more holidays for schools is great idea. Students health is more important than studies in summer.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and arguments for shorter ones. However, the development is quite limited. The ideas regarding health and extreme weather are relevant but repetitive, and the discussion on shorter holidays is underdeveloped and lacks depth. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments are somewhat superficial. To improve, you should expand on the 'value' of holidays by discussing educational or psychological benefits beyond just avoiding heat, and provide more detailed reasoning for why some advocate for shorter breaks, such as the impact on learning retention or parental childcare challenges.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited and sometimes mechanical (e.g., 'Other reason is', 'And the most value of'). There is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas smoothly between and within sentences. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the later paragraphs where sentences feel like a list of points rather than a cohesive argument. Improving the variety of transition signals and ensuring clear topic sentences for each paragraph would significantly enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. There are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'can hospitalized' instead of 'can be hospitalised' and 'more longer' which is grammatically incorrect. The vocabulary is repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms like 'great', 'important', and 'good'. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more precise academic vocabulary and collocations, such as 'mitigate the risks of heat exhaustion' or 'academic continuity' instead of repeating 'studies'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a high frequency of grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are frequent issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Many continents... provide holiday'), missing articles, and incorrect sentence structures (e.g., 'Other bellive holidays shorter to one month'). While there is an attempt at complex sentences, they are often inaccurate. Punctuation is also inconsistent. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring correct verb forms, and proofreading for common errors like missing 'be' verbs before past participles.

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