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)
There are significant amount of countries who suspend there schools for the short period of time like in extreme hot weather.
Education plays a vital role in the development and upbringing of the society and the country. But continuous study will effect the mental and health of the child. As excess of everything is bad. So in this favor numerous countries planned their curriculum in such way that they gave a long break in the form of holidays to there children. Adequate number of nations consider the two hot months of summer as a break. This break will helpful for both students and organizations. For instance, it helps to mitigate the stress of individuals also enhances there minds and gave them more opportunity to learn and develop knacks which is helpful for their bright future. It also helps the individuals to think outside the classroom.
Moreover, in the converse side of this, some disadvantages of long break has. Such as, certain number of students forgot how to study and the their basics that they learn before. As they are enthusiast about holidays and other fun activities only, forget the fundamentals of their time and study. However, for this situation some countries introduce the engaging shorter holidays, as they think student waste their more precious time in fun activities. Also, they have greater advantages to student and parents.
I am inclined to believe that, its more pivotal for individuals to have some break with studies, as it helps them to grow. But also the break is no much longer as they has negative consequences on children and organization as well.
in the favor of short holidays certain
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, discussing the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the argument regarding students forgetting basics is mentioned but not fully explored or supported with concrete examples. The position is clear, but the explanation of why shorter holidays are 'pivotal' or beneficial is limited by repetitive phrasing and a lack of depth. To improve, you should aim to expand on your points with specific examples or logical consequences rather than just stating them briefly.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For instance, 'Moreover, in the converse side of this' is an awkward transition. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the use of 'they' in 'they has negative consequences' where the antecedent is ambiguous. While there is a logical progression, the flow between sentences is occasionally disrupted by these issues, and the final sentence fragment at the end of the text negatively impacts the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of incorrect word choice or collocation, such as 'knacks' (which is informal and misused here) and 'mitigate the stress' (which is slightly unnatural in this context). You also rely on simple vocabulary like 'good' or 'bad' and struggle with word forms, such as 'enthusiast' instead of 'enthusiastic'. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more academic collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical form.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede readability. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('they has negative consequences'), incorrect pronoun usage ('there schools' instead of 'their schools'), and tense inconsistencies. The sentence structure is often repetitive, and the misuse of articles and prepositions is noticeable throughout. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be highly beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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