Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-05

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)

The vacation period provided by the primary and secondary schools in many countries differ in length where some provides longer holiday duration while others provide shorter vacation. Also, it is crucial for the students to explore new hobbies and opportunities.

The children at schools study for almost 10 months a year and after the year-end if sufficient amount of time is not provided for rest then they could be exhausted. There are some schools that provide longer holidays compared to others and this helps students to focus more on their leisure activities. In a longer vacation there is enough time for children to build new skills like typing and drawing which can be helpful for their overall development. During the phase of vacation children can also travel to new places to learn different culture and get new experience.

There are some schools that prefer to give shorter holidays to students. The main aim of the school for giving less leaves is for ensuring that the student do not forget their studies. The short vacations are upto 1 month or less and sometimes include assignments for students to be completed upon reopening of schools. The schools providing small breaks are entirely focused on providing education and gives very less time for children to explore other activities.

In conclusion, both longer and shorter school holidays have their own benefits and drawbacks. The schools providing bigger vacation offer students more time to explore different opportunites, while in schools with less leaves for students makes them more improved in their studies.

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 example, while you mention 'new hobbies' and 'travel', these points are not fully extended with specific examples or deeper analysis. The position is clear, but the conclusion is a bit repetitive rather than synthesising the arguments effectively. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more detailed explanation of the 'why' and 'how' behind your points, rather than simply listing them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices like 'In conclusion' and 'There are some schools', but the flow between sentences can feel a bit mechanical. Some transitions are slightly repetitive, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final sentence where the comparison between school types is grammatically awkward. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally into the next would help improve the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'good', 'new', and 'different'. There are also some minor collocation errors, such as 'gives very less time' instead of 'allows very little time' or 'makes them more improved' instead of 'leads to academic improvement'. To reach a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to education and child development, and focus on using words in their correct collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('some provides', 'the student do not forget') and article usage ('the primary and secondary schools'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic agreement errors and try to vary your sentence structures by using more complex clauses correctly.

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

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