Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-24
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)
Education plays a vital role to shaping individuals and socity. In many countries, primary and secounday schools provide two month or more than in summer vacation. This essay will examine both perspective before presenting my own perspective.
On the one hand, schools should provied long hollidays. This is beacuse it can help to explor new things. Long hollidays bring so many opportunit for students. If schools provide long holidays, it will help improve critical thinking in students. During long vacation, students go for vacation and try to explor new pleaces resulting improve their knowledge. In the summer hollidays, neumerous students join others activites classes which helps them to gain their knoeledge and confident such as sports and dancing classes. For instance, P.P. Savani school provides long vacation which improves both confident and knowlwdge. In China, many schools provide long vacation so student can spend more time with their femaily. As a results, it gives other options to build their careers in other feild.
On the other hand, shorter holidays help students to back their study instead of long vacation. Shorter holidays cannect student to with their study. Many schools peovid shorter holidays because it can help improves their all over rank in among all schools. During shorter holidays student cannot go for visting other places and cities so they focuse in their study, rusulting they will achive best score. Shorter holidays enable students to make their future bright. To examplify, In Mumbai many schools provide shorter holidays because it helps them to increase their reputation in cities. Therefore, shorter holidays is a responsibal for bright future.
In conclusion, although, shorter holidays cannot reduse stress, long holidays help students to redusing their stress. In future, schools should provides long vacation so student can explore knew things.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For example, the argument for shorter holidays focuses almost exclusively on 'rank' and 'reputation' without exploring the pedagogical benefits of continuous learning or the logistical challenges for working parents. While the position is clear, the supporting arguments are thin and rely on generalizations. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced reasoning and specific, well-explained examples rather than simply stating that shorter holidays lead to better scores.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices like 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to signal shifts in the argument. However, the internal cohesion within paragraphs is often mechanical. Some sentences feel disconnected, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the link between 'P.P. Savani school' and the broader argument about long holidays is not fully integrated. Improving the flow between sentences using a wider variety of linking words would enhance the coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are frequent spelling errors, such as 'socity', 'secounday', 'hollidays', 'neumerous', 'knoeledge', and 'feild'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader. You rely on a limited set of words like 'vacation', 'holidays', and 'improve', repeating them throughout the text. To improve, you should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring correct spelling. Using synonyms and more sophisticated collocations would help demonstrate a wider range of lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that impede clarity, such as 'Education plays a vital role to shaping' (should be 'in shaping'), 'provide two month or more than in summer vacation' (awkward phrasing), and 'shorter holidays is a responsibal for bright future' (subject-verb agreement and word form errors). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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