Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-25

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)

There is considerable debate surrounding whether various primary and secondary schools are granted two or more months holidays in the summer vacations. While some people prefer to give shorter summer holidays. This essay will examine both perspectives before explaining why I believe that longer summer vacations are significant.

Firstly, granting long holidays for two months or more are significant and valued for students as well as faculties. The main primary reason behind allotting summer vacations is the maintenance of the schools buildings and premises. Due to which carrying it out during school days are much more risky for children and teachers. For instance, repairing damaged walls or renovation work for playground during schools days can be hazardous for all. Therefore, it is understandable that why I prefer to have longer vacation in summer holidays.

Secondly, others believe that shorter school holidays are best for students because due to this longer vacation children usually spend their time playing and enjoying. They argue that these longer holidays are useless, which ultimately keeps students distracted studies and concentrate more in playing. For example, children who enjoys their holiday just by playing games and watching television, finds it difficult to continue their studies and daily routine when the schools continues. In my opinion, although the opposing argument has some validity, safety of students and teacher is also important.

In conclusion, both viewpoints offer valid arguments. However, I believe that granting long summer holidays to students and teaching staff is better because they can get stressed and tired following same routine for everyday throughout the year continuously.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay 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 limited. The argument regarding school maintenance is a practical point, but the discussion on the 'distraction' of students is underdeveloped. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments lack depth and specific examples. For instance, the mention of 'renovation work' is a good start, but it could be expanded to explain the long-term benefits of such maintenance. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more thorough explanation and a concrete, real-world example to support the main point.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion' are used to signal the structure. However, the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Due to which carrying it out during school days are much more risky'. The connection between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect ideas more naturally within paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'holidays', 'vacation', and 'students'. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'faculties', 'renovation', and 'hazardous', there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'allotting summer vacations' and 'distracted studies'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition and to express ideas with greater nuance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues, such as 'granting long holidays... are significant' (should be 'is significant') and 'children who enjoys' (should be 'enjoy'). There are also punctuation and phrasing errors, such as 'understandable that why I prefer'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining complex sentence construction will significantly improve the accuracy.

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

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