Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-17

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)

Summer holidays are also a crucial factor in the school development. These holidays are announced by the education ministry of our government and it mostly lasts about two and a half months. These holidays are mostly called summer vacation. These holidays are for both government and public sector schools. Tasks are assigned by schools to students and have freedom to enjoy these holidays freely. I think these holidays have their own charm and are necessary for students to get rid of daily hectic routine.

These long school holidays play vital role for the students and also help them to grow intellectually and able them to flourish their skills or abilities. They are able to take part in different co-curricular activities like swimming, sports, singing or painting and play with an effort to become a champion or winner. In this way, they learn through experience and practice. Some are also opt gardening as an hobby and gain knowledge about different types of seeds, fruits ang vegetables. Some are book lovers they spend most of their time in reading various collection of books like science fiction or story books. Shortly, they are free in their choice to own whatever they want to opt and that is pleasurable for them.

Some people argue about shorter school holidays because, some students take this golden opportunity in negative way. They were wasting their time by indulging themselves in absurd activities like gambling, playing chess with bad company. Also, they were not interested in doing their summer vacation properly. Some were disobey their parents and do whatever they want. So, this kind of behavior may be the cause of their argument that prefer shorter school holidays.

In conclusion, although both aspects have their own benefits and limitations but I prefer summer holidays that influence students greatly.

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 somewhat uneven. The first paragraph is largely introductory and lacks depth regarding the 'value' of the holidays. While the second paragraph provides examples of co-curricular activities, the third paragraph—focusing on the arguments for shorter holidays—is slightly repetitive and relies on generalizations about student behavior. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced arguments, such as the impact on academic retention or the logistical challenges for working parents, rather than focusing solely on negative student behavior.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive (e.g., starting multiple sentences with 'These holidays'). The transition between the benefits and the arguments for shorter holidays is clear, but the flow within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'conversely'). Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel disjointed due to the lack of sophisticated signposting.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'co-curricular', 'intellectually', and 'flourish'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'mostly lasts about', 'opt gardening as an hobby', and 'do their summer vacation properly'. These errors do not impede communication, but they highlight a need for more precise usage. To improve, focus on learning collocations (e.g., 'pursue a hobby' instead of 'opt gardening') and ensure consistent spelling, as seen in 'ang' instead of 'and'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Some are also opt', 'Some were disobey', 'they were wasting'). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. To achieve a higher score, focus on maintaining consistent tense usage throughout your arguments and refining your control over complex structures, such as relative clauses and conditional sentences.

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

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