Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-12

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 decades, it is widely believed across numerous nations that primary and secondary institutes close for two months or more in the summer vacations. Therefore, many people say that it is a good time for children to learn new things. Conversely, other individuals think that children can more in shorter holidays. This essay will discuss both arguements.

On the one hand, there are several benefits and values of long vacations. This is because summer holidays are very precocious time for students since they can learn new skills such as technology informatics, communication these skills are very beneficial for them because it will help to secure their future. Furthermore, they can spend quality time with their families and trevel new destination they can gain their knowledge about different cultures and languages. A clear example of this is that in holidays children feel relxe because they do not have any tension about exams and homework. Consequently, they can make assignments and projects, which help to improve their critical thinking and study performance.

On the other hand, some people believe that children can study better in schools rather than in holidays. The main reason for this is that schools provide education environment and they can focus properly on studies without disturbance. For instance, they can learn moral values and discipline from schools because there are good teacher, who teach them and they can clear their question doubts from tutor.

In conclusion, holidays they can learn new skills and travel with their, which help to gain their general knowledge. However, some people argue that students learn better from school because teacher provide right guidence.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. The writer establishes a position at the beginning and attempts to support ideas with examples, such as learning new skills and enjoying family time, as well as the structured environment of schools. However, some ideas remain slightly under-developed or repetitive, such as the discussion around assignments and critical thinking. The reasoning sometimes lacks precise expansion, preventing the response from reaching a higher band. Overall, the prompt is adequately covered, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure, using standard introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as On the one hand, On the other hand, and Furthermore. However, referencing and transitions are at times mechanical or somewhat clumsy, for instance in the conclusion where sentences are incomplete or lack smooth integration (e.g., travel with their, which help). Paragraphing is functional, but logical progression between sentences occasionally falters due to awkward phrasing and run-on structures. This places the performance solidly at Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary appropriate for the task, including terms like 'precocious' (though used slightly inaccurately in context), 'informatics', 'critical thinking', and 'discipline'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as 'institutes' instead of 'institutions', 'trevel new destination', and 'relxe'. Spelling errors like 'arguements' and 'guidence' also occur. While the vocabulary is adequate to convey the general message, these persistent errors and limited precision restrict the score to Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb tense, preposition use, and sentence structure, such as 'children can more in shorter holidays', 'they do not have any tension', and 'clear their question doubts'. Punctuation and article usage also need attention. While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5 descriptor.

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