Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-19

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 recent years, in numerous nation the elementary and middle school are providing the summer holidays for multiple months while, some people consider that those holidays are for their productive other oppose it. I firmly believe that this kind vacations play a crucial role in children life it give them a balance.

On one hand, value of long school holidays are vast beneficial for students than we think. To elaborate, this vacations give them a break to refresh their mind for more creativity and productivity for many other projects not only this they got sufficient time to learn any new type of skills which can be helpful in future. Additionally, the youngster get the time which is essential for creating new abilities or hobbies which elevate their critical thinking and enhance their other skills also. To exemplify, in many countries nearly all categories school follow this system to provide necessary rest they deserve to recharge their batteries.

On the other hand, the shorter holidays also favour the students in many various ways. Primarily, the short vacation help student to get the effective period which assist them to improve their grades. For instance, in many big cities such as New York or London the authorities follow the short vacation to provide the enough time for demanding subjects by which they enhance their score.

To conclude, although the short vacation are helpful for their studies, the long holidays offer them a time to refresh themselves which can also mitigate their depress level or tension. Significantly, I am with the long holidays due to its effective profound impart on students.

AI examiner evaluation

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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the argument for shorter holidays mentions improving grades in cities like London or New York, but this is not supported by a clear explanation of how the school system actually functions there. The position is clear, but the supporting points lack depth and specific detail, which limits the score. To improve, you should expand on your arguments with more logical reasoning rather than just stating them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude' to signal transitions. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Some cohesive links are used mechanically, and there are instances where the connection between sentences is not entirely smooth, such as the transition between the benefits of creativity and the mention of school systems. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'good', 'helpful', and 'big', and there are several instances of incorrect word forms or collocations, such as 'depress level' instead of 'depression levels' and 'profound impart' instead of 'profound impact'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is a lack of flexibility in using less common lexical items. Focusing on learning collocations and topic-specific vocabulary would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the youngster get' instead of 'the youngsters get'), missing articles ('in numerous nation'), and incorrect pluralisation ('this vacations'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, you should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with plurals, articles, and verb tense consistency.

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

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