Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-13
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 most countries, schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays. Some people think more holidays are good for childerns. While majority of the people think opposite of that. We will discuss the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter school holidays.
In my opinion, long school holidays are very essential and plays an important role in the interest of the students. This is because, students will study better if they have enough time for rest and their personal life. When students study for months, they feel depressed and need some time to rest and also for their personal life. For example, when I was a student of secondary school, I felt tired from studying many hours in a day and have no time for my personal life.
But if students have enougf time for rest every week, shorter school holidays are perfect. Students should have enough time to rest every day so that he can concentrate on his studies. The countries with shorter school holidays have to give at least 3 holidays per week so that the students have enough time for their personal life and for rest.
It can be concluded that long school holidays are essential for the students` interest in studies and have enough time for rest. But the countries with shorter school holidays should give three holidays per week so that the students can concentrate on their studies and have enough time for rest and for their personal life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt by discussing the value of long school holidays and arguments in favour of shorter ones. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and relies heavily on general statements about rest and personal life without introducing diverse perspectives. The position is stated, but the arguments lack depth and extension. For example, the student writes, 'This is because, students will study better if they have enough time for rest and their personal life,' which is repeated in various forms throughout the essay. While all parts are addressed, the lack of fully elaborated main ideas places this response at Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing the prompts, and a conclusion. However, cohesion at the sentence level is mechanical and sometimes faulty. For instance, the transition 'But if students have enougf time for rest every week' abruptly shifts the argument. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as shifting between plural 'students' and singular pronouns ('so that he can concentrate'). There is an over-reliance on repetitive sentence openings and basic cohesive ties. Progression is hindered by the repetitive nature of the arguments. This performance aligns best with Band 5.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but it is basic and repetitive. Words such as 'study,' 'rest,' 'personal life,' and 'holidays' are used multiple times with little variation. There are also noticeable lexical errors and spelling mistakes, such as 'childerns' instead of 'children' and 'enougf' instead of 'enough'. The range is limited and minimally adequate, allowing the writer to convey simple messages, but it lacks the flexibility and less common lexical items required for higher bands. This sits firmly at Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('long school holidays... plays an important role'), tense inconsistency, and pronoun disagreement ('so that the students... so that he can concentrate'). Complex structures often contain faults. While communication is generally maintained despite these errors, the high frequency of inaccurate structures prevents the essay from reaching a higher band, making Band 5.0 an accurate reflection of the grammatical control demonstrated.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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