Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-21

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 can be seen in many countries that, in the summer holidays primary and secondary schools remained close for two or more days. This essay will discuss the value of long holidays and will argue on behalf of shorter school holidays.

Education system become much strict than the past. These days, there is a lot of competitions as a result students have a lot of pressure of scoring good marks, getting first prize and fulfilling their parents expectations. Therefore, in both primary and secondary schools holidays are important for several reasons. Firstly, it helps students to break their daily routine and spend some time by themselves. Holidays are the time when students can go for travel, do their favorite hobbies, watch their favorite movies or tv shows and so on. They can also spend quality time with their families and visit their relatives that actually help them to refresh their mind and also influence their academic performance. For example, many schools give mid break before exam so that students can prepare well and relax before exam. However, long vacation have some drawbacks too.

Long breaks can often break the study habit because it can hamper their daily routine of going to school and reading. Sometimes children do not want to study or any work during holidays which ultimately affect their overall performance and score. In addition, after a long holidays students cannot focus on their studies again. For example, when I was at school I find it too much difficult to concentrate on my study due to the inconsistency and long break from studying.

To conclude, taking all these factors into consideration I think that holidays are necessary but it should not be too long at the same time.

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 limited. While you mention the benefits of relaxation and family time, the arguments for shorter holidays are less detailed, relying heavily on personal experience rather than broader societal or educational impacts. To reach a higher band, ensure that both sides of the argument are explored with equal depth and supported by more varied examples. The position is clear, but the overall analysis remains somewhat superficial, which is characteristic of a band 6 response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In addition', and 'To conclude' to link your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. For example, the transition between the benefits of holidays and the drawbacks could be smoother. To improve, try to use a wider variety of cohesive markers and ensure that the progression of ideas within paragraphs is more fluid rather than relying on simple list-like structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'academic performance' and 'inconsistency'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'remained close' (should be 'remain closed') and 'do any work' (which is slightly informal). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the sophistication or precision required for higher bands. To improve, focus on learning collocations and more academic synonyms for common verbs and adjectives to enhance the precision of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of your writing. Examples include 'Education system become much strict' (should be 'The education system has become much stricter') and 'long vacation have' (should be 'long vacations have'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic tense consistency and pluralization.

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

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