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 the school holidays are mainly given because they want the children to know basic life skills like doing a summer camp away from home that teaches the children about life skills like leadership capabilities, group working, team management, helping others and many more skills that harness the brain of children and make them capable enough to excel in real world.

These skills are not only useful in practical life but also in daily life like doing little activities that involves other people, a person who completed or took workshops and summer programs to harness their skills may work better with others then those who wasted their summer holidays.

parents who encourage their children to do workshops during summer holidays help their children grow both mentally and physically they are prone to make friends easier and they are very much ready to be in society without a support.

shorter holidays means faster education for example if the summer break ends in a month the next class would end soon and that is the only argument that i see in the favor of this argument.

In my experience i have volunteered in a summer internship program with an NGO where i worked as an helper to provide needy people with daily life necessities and their i learned and was encouraged to speak directly with the people that made my communications skill strong and made me more confident it evidently helped me with the job interview i recently gave a month ago

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response 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 and repetitive. The first two paragraphs focus heavily on 'life skills' and 'workshops,' which feels slightly narrow. The argument for shorter holidays is underdeveloped, consisting of only one sentence regarding 'faster education.' To reach a higher band, you should provide more balanced, detailed arguments for both sides, perhaps discussing the impact on teacher burnout or academic retention for the second part of the prompt. The position is clear, but the depth of analysis is insufficient for a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay lacks a formal structure, such as an introduction or a clear conclusion. Paragraphing is inconsistent; the text is essentially a series of loosely connected points rather than a cohesive argument. While there are some attempts at linking ideas (e.g., 'These skills are not only...'), the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate. For instance, the transition 'shorter holidays means faster education' is abrupt and lacks a logical bridge from the previous paragraph. Improving the use of transition signals and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the flow and logical progression of your writing.

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 repetitive phrasing, such as 'life skills' and 'harness the brain/skills.' There are some awkward collocations, such as 'wasted their summer holidays' and 'worked as an helper.' While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and the occasional misuse of words limit the score. To improve, try to incorporate more academic vocabulary related to education and personal development, and focus on using synonyms to avoid repeating the same terms throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'activities that involves'), punctuation errors (missing commas in long sentences), and incorrect word forms (e.g., 'an helper'). The sentence structure is often run-on, making it difficult to follow the logic. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence punctuation and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed correctly. Reducing the number of run-on sentences by using periods or appropriate conjunctions will make your writing much clearer and more professional.

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

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