Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-31
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 5.0)
In many countries, schools close for two months or even longer during summer breaks. While some people believe that these long holidays are beneficial for students, others argue that shorter holidays have more advantages
In the long break students have enough time to do some creative activity which is beneficial in future. However, student spent lot off time with family and friends.
Mostly in common countries, school close for two months but it could be extended due to harsh summer season. Long holidays give relaxation to students and give much more time to feel free from study burden.
However, if there are benefits there would be disadvantages are also of long holidays.
Benefits: Students do lot of activities in free time. Some students enjoy there time with family, friends. Some went to meet there relatives and spent lot of time with relatives.
Some students go on long trip in Swat, Naran and some other historical places.
On the other hand there are lot of side effects of long holidays. Students not pay attention on study. They loose attantion in study work.
However, In short term holidays there is less learning loss. Students are remains in there school work routine. They pay attantion on there works and remember the last lesson given in school.
The opinion of maximum peoples seemed in the favor of short holidays because students are connected with there school work.
Parents's convenience is tough for short term holidays.
Ultimately, both ways are holidays have benefits as well as effects. Most people prefer short holidays and some for working parents long holidays are god they can easily deal with there childrens.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
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 limited. The points made, such as 'creative activity' or 'learning loss', are mentioned but not sufficiently expanded upon with clear reasoning or specific examples. The structure is somewhat fragmented, with a list-like approach in the middle section ('Benefits:', 'On the other hand...'). To improve, you should aim to develop each main idea into a full, cohesive paragraph with clear topic sentences and supporting evidence.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay lacks a clear, logical progression. The use of paragraphing is inconsistent, with some paragraphs consisting of only one or two sentences. While there are some attempts at cohesive devices like 'However' and 'On the other hand', they are often used repetitively or in a way that does not effectively link ideas. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall flow is disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the argument's development. Improving the use of transition signals and ensuring each paragraph has a singular, well-developed focus would significantly enhance coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is basic and repetitive. There are frequent errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'loose' instead of 'lose', 'attantion' instead of 'attention', and 'peoples' instead of 'people'. The range of vocabulary is limited, relying on simple descriptors that do not allow for a nuanced discussion of the topic. To achieve a higher band score, you need to expand your range of vocabulary to include more academic collocations and precise terminology related to education and time management, while also ensuring accurate spelling.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a high frequency of grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('school close', 'students is remains'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward sentence structures. There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and the punctuation is often misused, particularly with apostrophes ('Parents's'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction impede the flow and clarity of the writing. Focusing on mastering basic sentence patterns and proofreading for common errors would be a beneficial next step.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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