Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17

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)

Long summer holidays are very common in many education systems. while these extended breaks provide several benefits to students, shorter holidays can also have some advantages.

On the one hand, long holidays allow students to become mentally relax and helps them to develop their hobbies. because during academic period students have burden of study and become mentally tired, not even able to concentrate on hobbies. For example, during vacation of student parents often plan for picnic, which is essential for student mental health to relax their mental pressure by spending time with family. Moreover, if someone, who wants to develop their skills such as sports or music so they can gain their skills without any academic pressure. Therefore, long holidays are important, they return to school with refreshed and motivated feelings.

On the other hand, shorter holidays also play a major role in student life, students can not only retain their knowledge better but also improve their academic performance. Very long break can cause them risk to forget previously learned material which results into degrade in their performance. For instance, after two to three months without studying, they forget previously learned and it takes several weeks to revise old topics. It can affect their academic score as well. Therefore, shorter breaks can help students to maintain a concentration and a consistent learning routine.

In conclusion, long holidays give students valuable time to rest and pursue personal activities, whereas shorter breaks can help them to maintain their academic routine and retain knowledge.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. A clear position is presented and maintained throughout the essay. Main ideas are supported with relevant explanations and examples, such as mental relaxation and the prevention of learning loss. However, some arguments remain slightly under-developed and lack depth, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. For instance, the discussion on skills development could be expanded with more concrete details. Overall, the task is answered satisfactorily, aligning with the requirements of a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, introducing the introduction, the two main body points covering both views, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover' are used to connect ideas, although referencing and linking can sometimes feel a bit mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different perspectives. Progression is generally clear, but occasional clunky transitions limit the flow. This performance corresponds well to a Band 6.5 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-related terms such as 'academic period', 'mental pressure', 'academic performance', and 'learning routine'. There are, however, several word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'become mentally relax' instead of 'become mentally relaxed', and 'degrade in their performance' rather than a 'decline in their performance'. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication, allowing the response to comfortably secure a Band 6.0 for this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. There are, nevertheless, frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('burden of study', 'during vacation of student parents'), punctuation slips (starting sentences with lowercase letters like 'while' and 'because'), and awkward clause structures ('Moreover, if someone, who wants to develop...'). Although these errors occur regularly and sometimes cause slight difficulty for the reader, communication is maintained. The variety of structures combined with these persistent errors places the response at a Band 5.5.

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