Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-29

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)

Education is more important and valuable for both children's and for elders. In several countries, the summer vacation is too long, often two months or more than for primary and secondary schools system. In this essay I will discuss the benefits of long holidays as well as my arguments about shorter school vacations.

To commence with, long school holidays can provide enough time for students to prepare for exam. In most countries the final term papers are often schoules after the summer break. For instant, if a student complete their course work within the provided summer holidays, then after finishing the vacation they will face exam which will be easy or difficult for him, if he or she worked before, then there will be no obstacles in the exam for him.

Moving further, longer summer holidays can also engage students in their families and friends. To elaborate this, most of the parents take a plan for picnic, but they have not enough time, because their children's are regularly going to school. Therefore the a long period of holidays can facilitates parents to go outside from their hometown to enjoy some beautiful days.

Nevertheless, longer holidays can also contain some bad habits. To explain it, when the summer holidays are too long, then some students forget their previous knowledge they gain in their school, due to longer vacation. Hence, shorter school holidays are require, if the students are not regularly engaging in their course work.

To sum up, exam preparation is compulsory for each and every students, so longer holidays help him to prepared for it. While going outside from hometown is also contain a much more benefits. In stark contrast, shorter holidays are need, if students are not engaging in their home work regularly.

AI examiner evaluation

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 of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument about exam preparation is repetitive and lacks specific detail on how a two-month break actually aids study. The second point regarding family time is relevant but could be expanded with more concrete examples. The conclusion attempts to summarize the points but introduces a slightly disjointed final thought. To improve, you should aim to provide more depth to your arguments rather than simply stating them, ensuring each paragraph has a clear, well-supported main idea that directly answers the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a basic attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Moving further', and 'In stark contrast'. However, the use of these markers is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the use of 'him' when referring to students in general. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the flow between sentences could be smoother. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that pronouns consistently refer back to their intended antecedents.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'schoules' (scheduled), 'For instant' (For instance), and 'a long period of holidays can facilitates' (can facilitate). The vocabulary is often repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'good' or 'bad' concepts without using more sophisticated alternatives. To improve, focus on learning collocations and ensuring that word forms (e.g., verb-subject agreement) are used correctly. Expanding your range of topic-specific vocabulary related to education and time management would also be beneficial.

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 the flow of reading. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('children's are', 'holidays are require'), article usage, and incorrect verb forms ('if a student complete', 'help him to prepared'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, specifically checking for pluralization, verb tense consistency, and the correct use of modal verbs. Practicing complex sentence structures will also help improve your overall grammatical range.

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

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