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)
In many countries, Schools offers summer vacation for two or three months and it will benefit students. While, some argue that institutions should shorter the holidays which will be more effective. This essay will discuss the benefits of long holidays and arguments in favour of short holidays.
As to begin, Long holidays is vital for both teachers and students to relax after stress of academic year. Students give time to their families and spend quality time with them. In addition their mind also need some break so they they on outings in these holidays to gain energy for further studies and prepare their mind to pick up the things more easily. Teachers also need break to prepare there schedule to teach more and they gather more information in these days which help pupils to be a better student.
On the other hand, many stated that schools should have shorter vacations because in long holidays they will forget what they learned in school. Take an example of a student who plan to go to another city spending vacations their so by this he will detach from the studies and they will forget all the studies espacially the mathematics and language.
To conclude, long holidays is essential for the students as well teachers because it will help them relax and enjoy with their family, Also teacher has enough time to prepare themselves for teaching more things. while the arguments in favour of short holidays has also some valid reasons as this will have risk of forgetting studies.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 is somewhat limited. While you mention relaxation and family time, the points are not fully extended with specific examples or deeper analysis. For instance, the argument about forgetting academic material is relevant but lacks sufficient detail to reach a higher band. The position is clear, but the overall depth of the ideas remains at a basic level. To improve, try to provide more concrete examples or explain the 'why' and 'how' behind your arguments more thoroughly.
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 'In addition', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where referencing is unclear, such as the use of 'they' in the second paragraph, which creates ambiguity regarding whether you are referring to students or teachers. The progression of ideas is logical, but the transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the overall coherence of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on common words like 'good', 'things', and 'teach'. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'institutions should shorter the holidays' (should shorten) and 'prepare there schedule' (their). While the meaning is clear throughout, the lack of more academic or topic-specific vocabulary limits the score. Incorporating more precise terminology related to education and cognitive development would enhance your lexical range.
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 distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('Schools offers', 'long holidays is'), incorrect verb forms ('should shorter'), and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage would 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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