Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-19

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 4.0)

It is irrefutable that some people decide to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to stop flying altogether. The merits and demerits of this perspective are discussed in the subsequent paragraphs.

One of the major drawbacks is that if people reduce the number of times they fly every year, the first impact that the government will face is on the economy because the government maintains a significant portion of its economy through flight tickets. Furthermore, economic changes can affect our country in terms of small expenses such as grocery prices, and the tax rate may also increase significantly. This is mainly not good for poor and middle-class people because they do not have enough money to buy expensive items. In addition, poor and middle-class people prefer to buy cheaper grocery items.

One of the major benefits of reducing the number of flights is that if people decide to decrease the number of times they fly every year, they can save money for their future and for the upcoming generation. Furthermore, this is good for our environment because if airplanes are used less frequently, the effects of pollution will automatically decrease. Moreover, this will also save fuel if people reduce the number of times they travel by flight.

In conclusion, the negative effects include an impact on the economy, as well as increases in grocery prices and tax rates. Apart from this, the positive effects are that we will be able to save fuel, and if flights are used less frequently, our environment will become cleaner and healthier.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 1.0

The response is completely off-topic. The prompt clearly asks about the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. However, the student wrote an essay about the merits and demerits of reducing air travel. Consequently, the writer has failed to address the task prompt entirely. Even though the ideas presented regarding air travel are relevant to that specific topic and are developed with examples such as economic impact and grocery prices, they do not answer the questions posed in the writing task. According to the band descriptors, responding to a completely different topic results in a low score for Task Achievement as the prompt has not been addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

Despite the severe off-topic issue, the essay maintains a clear structure with an introduction, separate body paragraphs for drawbacks and benefits, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'One of the major drawbacks', 'Furthermore', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion'. Paragraphing is logical, separating distinct points about the economic and environmental aspects of the chosen topic. Referencing is generally clear, though it serves an irrelevant subject matter. The overall arrangement demonstrates a basic level of organization and logical sequencing that would typically align with a Band 6.0 in terms of cohesion mechanics, but because the content is entirely misaligned with the prompt, the organizational structure cannot fully compensate.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, demonstrating attempts at less common items such as 'irrefutable', 'consequent paragraphs', and 'significantly'. However, there is a high degree of repetition, particularly with phrases like 'the number of times they fly every year' and 'poor and middle-class people'. Word choice and collocation are occasionally awkward, but the meaning of the sentences remains clear throughout the text. The lexical range is limited and repetitive, reflecting the constraints of a Band 5.0 writer who struggles to employ a flexible or wide range of vocabulary appropriate for more complex academic discussions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'if people reduce the number of times they fly every year, the first impact that the government will face is on the economy'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'reduce the number of times they travel by flight' instead of 'by plane'. Punctuation is generally functional, and although errors are present, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of the intended message. This profile aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors, which note a mix of simple and complex structures alongside some errors that do not hinder overall communication.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.