Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-18

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)

For primary and secondary school students, holidays mean a lot, whether short-term or long-term. Long holidays help students gain general knowledge, while short school holidays keep them on track and give them space for daily activities. In long school holidays, students get time to relax and visit different places and get time to spent wit their families. The long hoildays which is usually due to severe heat help protect students from having any health problem. Additionally parents living in cities usually take their children to their townhouse to meet their family, this brings a sense of responsibility and the value of family. Some parents might plan trip to another city or country for their children which not only let them enjoy and explore the new place but also helps them gaining general knowledge which tey donot get from books.

Shorter school holidays, on the other has its own impact on students' behavior and performance. The routine they follow every week help them work consistently and especially the habit of sleeping on time at night and waking up early keep the, fresh and away from long screen time. However, they also get their time to relax and play games and watching favourite shows on holidays, this helps them to understand how to manage time for both school work and enjoyement. The habit they built at this stage helps them for life as they learn to know how to work under stress and at the same time how to relax mind on weekends.

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. The writer presents relevant ideas, such as how long holidays allow for family bonding, health protection from severe heat, and general knowledge acquisition. For shorter holidays, the student notes consistency in routines and better time management. However, some ideas lack deep extension and tend to generalise without specific concrete examples from personal experience. For example, the mention of visiting a townhouse or planning trips is brief and undeveloped. The position is clear throughout, and the main prompt requirements are satisfied, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a clear overall arrangement with a distinct introduction and body paragraphs dedicated to each side of the prompt. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Additionally', 'Some parents might', and 'However', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or lack seamless integration. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the two main ideas of long and short holidays. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, and logical progression within the paragraphs can be slightly disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where multiple ideas are linked together without sufficient separation. Overall, the organizational structure meets the criteria for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases like 'general knowledge', 'sense of responsibility', and 'time management'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, such as 'spent wit' instead of 'spent with', 'hoildays' instead of 'holidays', 'hays' / 'has', and 'gainning' instead of 'gaining'. There are also minor collocation slips such as 'helps them gaining'. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the score from reaching a higher band. The lexical vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, achieving a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'which not only let them enjoy... but also helps them gaining'. There are, however, frequent grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'The routine they follow every week help them' and 'keep the, fresh'. Punctuation is also weak in places, such as comma splices and run-on sentences ('on the other has its own impact', 'and watching favourite shows on holidays, this helps'). Despite these errors, the meaning is generally clear, corresponding well to the descriptors for Band 5.5.

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

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