Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-13
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 many countries, primary and secondary schools have long summer break of two months or more. This essay will discuss the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter holidays.
Long school holidays can be beneficial for both students and teachers. Firstly student need enough time period to relax after a long period of study. A long term break can reduce stress and help them return to school with more energy. Secondly student can spend more time with parents and their families and take part in different activities, such as travelling, sports and hobbies. For example, childern can visit relatives or learn new skill during the summer break. Therefore, long holidays can support students, mental well-being and personal development.
On other hand, shorter school holidays also have some important advantages. The main benefit is that students can maintain their study routine and are less likely to forget what they have learned. I the summer holidays is too long,some students can lose their interest in studying. In addition, shorter breaks can provide more regular learning throughout the year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 181 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you have addressed both parts of the prompt—the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones—the ideas are underdeveloped. For example, the points regarding 'mental well-being' and 'study routine' are mentioned but not sufficiently expanded with detailed explanations or concrete examples. To improve, you must elaborate on your arguments to reach the required length, ensuring that each point is fully explored to demonstrate a clear position throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and you use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'On other hand' to signal transitions. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat limited due to the brevity of the text. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure feels underdeveloped. To achieve a higher band, ensure that you use a wider range of cohesive devices to link sentences and ideas more fluidly, and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that is supported by well-developed arguments.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'long school holidays' and 'important advantages' are functional but lack sophistication. There are also some minor errors, such as 'childern' (spelling) and 'learn new skill' (missing article/pluralization). To improve, you should aim to incorporate a wider range of topic-specific vocabulary and demonstrate more precise word choice. For instance, instead of 'learn new skill', you could use 'acquire new competencies' or 'pursue extracurricular interests' to show greater lexical flexibility.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'student need' (subject-verb agreement), 'I the summer holidays' (likely a typo for 'If'), and 'students, mental well-being' (incorrect punctuation). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall flow. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and punctuation. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures will also help improve your score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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