Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-27

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 various nations, the schools for primary and secondary students remained shut for two months as summer vacation. Either this prolonged length of off from school helped students to engage themselves in useful activities or not. I will present my own argument later in the essay.

Mostly in South Asian schools, the long break helped students to put themselves in learning new things, like joining a computer course or joining a sports club to learn a game properly, etc They can also do small pojects that the learned in schools into realiuty that can help them to look what would be more helpful for them in later future. However, governmental authorities offers vocational training in summer to help early education more pratical.

Futhermore, parents get chance to teach their children reality based things in their lives allowing them to build a strong emotional connection with them. They can also learn how to strenghten their phsyical and mental abilities as the basics power their later life. For this, parents take their dear ones to visit family members, do some social welfare work, talking to random people, etc. which eventually boosts up their confidence in their surroundings.

Moreover, If their energies are not properly channelisd they will definitely scrolled away from education, learning new things, and getting a social person. This will lead them to not established a moral intregeity themselves. In many areas, this created a catastrophic issues, if thought on large scale.

To sum up, primary and secondary should be closed but under parents caretaking. I genuinely prefers, the summer camps in schools and training program will help students to become a good persons in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and arguments for shorter ones. However, the development is inconsistent. While you mention benefits like skill acquisition and family bonding, the arguments for shorter holidays are less clear and somewhat confusingly expressed, particularly the point about 'moral integrity'. The introduction is also problematic; it fails to clearly state your position, instead saying you will present it later, which is not standard for an IELTS essay. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that your position is explicitly stated in the introduction and maintained throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical flow is frequently interrupted by awkward phrasing and a lack of clear cohesive devices. For instance, the transition between the benefits of summer and the potential negative consequences is abrupt. Some sentences, such as 'This will lead them to not established a moral intregeity themselves', are difficult to follow, which hinders the overall progression of ideas. Using a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'on the other hand') would help guide the reader more effectively through your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several instances of word-choice errors and non-standard collocations, such as 'scrolled away from education' (likely meaning 'strayed') and 'reality based things'. Spelling errors are also frequent, including 'pojects', 'realiuty', 'pratical', 'futhermore', 'strenghten', 'phsyical', and 'intregeity'. These errors occasionally make it difficult for the reader to grasp your intended meaning. Focusing on learning word families and checking your spelling will significantly improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures, and there are frequent grammatical errors that impede communication. Examples include 'the schools... remained shut' (tense inconsistency), 'the learned in schools' (missing object/relative pronoun), and 'I genuinely prefers'. Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While you attempt some complex sentences, they are often marred by errors in syntax, such as 'This will lead them to not established a moral intregeity themselves'. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like verb tense and subject-verb agreement.

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

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