Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

It is generally observed that in most of the nations, primary and secondary schools remain close for two to three months during summer vacations. Although Both views have their own significance But my inclination is towards latter notion. The reasons behind this will be discussed in upcoming paragraphs.

To commence with, there are plethora of benefits of longer holidays. The first and foremost is reduction in stress and anxiety. To explain it, nowadays scholars a lot of pressure and anxiety towards their studies. Sometimes it also cause health issues and demotivates students. Due to longer holiday students can play with their family members and can also visit to relatives which will boosts their motivation and focus level. Moreover, students can gain other

important skills. To justify it, if schools will provide longer holidays to students in summer then they can learn some physical skill which will benifits them in future. For instance students can earn money by doing part time job when they are going to abroad.

On the other hand, shorter holidays also have various benifits. Firstly, remembering power will increase. To elaborate it, if there will be a shorter holidays instead of long holidays then students will not forget the school studies which they had done in previous months. For instance, if students will have shorter vacations then there will be no gap which will leads to easier learning of other studies which relates to previous. In addition to this, it will make habbit for students to struggle in life. To articulate it, by having less holidays students those are living in hostels will get habbit of living alone which will benifit them in future, when they have to go for earning money.

To conclude, Although reduction in stress, enhancement in skills are reasons why longer holidays are benificial.Yet, increase in remember power and habbit to struggle cannot be neglected.

AI examiner evaluation

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 'remembering power' is a valid point, but it lacks depth and specific examples to fully support the claim. The position is stated in the introduction, but the conclusion is slightly contradictory, as it mentions the benefits of longer holidays while the introduction stated an inclination towards the 'latter notion' (shorter holidays). To reach a higher band, you should provide more detailed explanations and ensure your position remains consistent throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with,' 'Moreover,' and 'On the other hand' to signal transitions. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural. Additionally, there are issues with referencing; for instance, the phrase 'latter notion' in the introduction is not clearly linked to the specific arguments that follow. Paragraphing is present, but the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be improved to create a more cohesive argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'remembering power' instead of 'retention' or 'academic recall,' and 'habbit for students to struggle' which is not idiomatic. Spelling errors like 'benifits' and 'benificial' occur repeatedly. To improve, you should focus on using more academic collocations and ensuring correct spelling of common vocabulary. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include 'schools remain close' (should be 'closed'), 'Sometimes it also cause' (should be 'causes'), and 'which will leads to' (should be 'lead to'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the misuse of capital letters in the middle of sentences (e.g., 'Although Both views... But my inclination...'). While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.

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