Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

in many countries, primary and secondary schools used to close for two to three months for summer holidays .

in my opinion , summer is that month of year where every children wish to get long holidays because of the sunny weather . every children learn new things during their holidays and learn how to spend leisure time into useful way .

however, long summer holidays can also make child lazy and child gets a lot of time to play rather than study. they use to watch tv and mobile phones . the main disadvantage was Childs get detached from friends . they prefer not to school .

in addition, shorter holidays give hopes to get back to school after some days . I'm in favour of shorter holidays child gets to its daily routine of going school on time. they will learn how to be punctual and respects elders .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which severely limits your ability to develop your ideas. While you touch upon the value of holidays and the arguments for shorter breaks, the points are underdeveloped and lack supporting evidence or examples. The response reads more like a brief outline than a formal essay. To improve, you must expand each point with detailed explanations and relevant examples to meet the word count and demonstrate a deeper engagement with the prompt. Currently, the lack of depth and the failure to meet the length requirement result in a low score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into short paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. You use basic transition words like 'however' and 'in addition', but the connection between sentences is often disjointed. The ideas within paragraphs do not flow smoothly, and the overall structure feels fragmented. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'on the other hand') and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that links back to the main argument. The current structure is too simplistic to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is quite basic and repetitive. You frequently use simple terms like 'good', 'bad', or 'things', and there are noticeable errors in word choice, such as 'into useful way' instead of 'in a useful way'. There is also a lack of academic or topic-specific vocabulary related to education or child development. To improve, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations. For example, instead of saying 'make child lazy', you could use 'foster sedentary habits'. Expanding your range of vocabulary will help you express your ideas with more precision and sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'every children wish'), article usage (e.g., 'going school'), and pluralization (e.g., 'Childs'). You rely almost exclusively on simple sentence structures, with very few attempts at complex sentences. To improve, you need to focus on mastering basic grammar rules and then begin incorporating complex structures, such as relative clauses or conditional sentences. Proofreading for common errors like missing articles and incorrect verb forms will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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