Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-26
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 an ongoing worldwide debate about the importance of holiday time in high school students. During summer time, several countries close their primary and secondary schools for almost 2 months for holidays. In this essay I will be describing some arguments in favour of shorter holidays for high school students.
On one hand, school holidays times vary depending of the country, depending on their geography, costumes, studying topics, among other factors. A shorter school holiday might impacted positively in students because may allowed them to spent more quality time with their relatives at their residence, improving social skills, self confidence and avoiding stress levels due to a prolonged rest time. For instance, students that have experienced longer periods of rest, might be able to take better decisions about their extra curricular activities when returning to school. As a result, this might positively encourage effective decision-making skill in younger communities.
On the other hand, shorter periods of time might be beneficial for students, as promotes social relationships within family enhancing connections and avoid possible behaviours of concern. Family time its vital to promote a positive environment and a safe space at home. As a consequence, high school students are more susceptible to develop tolerance and decision, improved self-confidence and establish better social connections.
In conclusion, fewer days of holidays not just might impact children's behaviours, but also can contribute to increase mental health challenges and concerns among relatives and possible high school directives. As a result, longer time to rest impact positively in younger communities as the mentioned above.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 inconsistent. The arguments regarding 'decision-making' and 'social skills' are somewhat repetitive and lack specific, concrete examples to illustrate how these benefits manifest in reality. Furthermore, the conclusion contradicts the body paragraphs, as it argues in favour of longer holidays despite the essay's stated aim to discuss shorter ones. This confusion regarding the writer's position significantly impacts the clarity of the response. To improve, ensure that each paragraph focuses on a distinct argument and that the conclusion aligns with the points previously made.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by the contradictory conclusion. While cohesive devices like 'On one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used, they are sometimes applied to arguments that do not logically follow one another. For instance, the transition between the benefits of shorter holidays and the final summary is disjointed. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'the mentioned above', which does not effectively link back to specific points. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring that the conclusion accurately reflects the body of the essay would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are instances of awkward word choices, such as 'costumes' (likely meant 'customs') and 'high school directives' (likely meant 'administrators'). The repetition of phrases like 'social connections' and 'self-confidence' limits the range. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary and the presence of word-choice errors suggest a limited range. To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more precise terminology related to education and social development.
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 readability. Examples include 'might impacted positively' (should be 'might impact'), 'depending of the country' (should be 'depending on'), and 'family time its vital' (should be 'is vital'). Subject-verb agreement and verb tense consistency are recurring issues. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction, particularly modal verbs and subject-verb agreement, will help 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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