Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-08
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 recent years schools holidays has become increasingly common in many parts of the world. This essay will discuss the main reason of value of long school holidays and also discuss the favour of shorter school holidays.
On the one hand, there are several reasons why the value of long school holidays. The primary reason is that children can enjoyed their leisure time and they can do lot of activities. This is because sometimes we need to keep relax our mind and body. This is necessary for every individuals and children so they can focus more and more on their curriculum and work. For example, when i was child my summer vacation held almost 3 month, in this period i enjoyed the every moment of vacation and visited some relatives house. Another contributing factor is, they were experienced lot of happiness and also learn many various types of things. That's why sometimes enhance their academic skills and critical thinking.
On the other hand, others argue that favour of shorter holidays, and there are convincing reasons for this position. One major reason is that in this generation childrens become addicted by smart phones and other electronic devices. For instance, when the school holidays have been shorter, they cannot use their smartphones in many days. When the children going to school regularly , they cannot attached bad things because the most of the time they spent in schools. As a result, they can continue their study smoothly without any unnecessary longer break.
In conclusion, their are some value of long school holidays. Regarding the second question, i think that this argument have some valid reasons because sometimes longer break can effect the negatively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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. For instance, the argument regarding smartphone addiction is mentioned but not fully explored in terms of its impact on educational outcomes. The position is clear, but the supporting examples are quite personal and lack the depth required for a higher band. To improve, ensure that each point is fully extended with clear reasoning and broader implications rather than relying on personal anecdotes.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt at logical progression. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'This is because sometimes we need to keep relax our mind' and 'That's why sometimes enhance their academic skills' show a lack of smooth transitions between sentences. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the concluding paragraph is very brief and does not effectively summarise the main points of the essay. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words would significantly enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher levels. There is frequent repetition of basic words like 'holidays', 'children', and 'reasons'. Some collocations are unnatural, such as 'keep relax our mind' or 'attached bad things'. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of variety and the presence of word-choice errors limit the score. To progress, focus on learning topic-specific collocations and synonyms to avoid repetitive phrasing and to express ideas with more sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('schools holidays has become'), article usage, and incorrect verb forms ('children can enjoyed', 'they were experienced'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, and some sentences are fragmented or awkward. While these errors do not completely prevent the reader from understanding the message, they are frequent enough to impede the overall fluency of the writing. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.
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