Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-22
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 majority of countries, primary and secondary schools call off for almost two or larger duration of time in summer holidays.In my opinion, the long holidays are necessary to provide students some time to spend with their families and also manage to do asginments assigned to them with more understading. While, some individuals argue that shorter holidays are required so children can spend most of their time in academic environment and remain in touch with their tasks.
On the one hand, long holidays can play a role by providing students some time to passed at home with their loved ones ouside the stressful academic environment. Furthermore, students manage their time for doing homework, playing games according to their convenience and spending some quality time with siblings and parents. It also help the parents to take a break from their unlimited roles and duties. Because of free time many married women with their chidren manage to visit their parent's house which is generaly impossible in normal days because it will lead to short attendace and performances of children. For instance, my sister with her children usually visit our house once a year in summer holidays because my nieces shcool couldn't allows other log term holidays.
On the other hand, a few individuals argue that shorter holidays should be implemente in schools so that kids can spend most of their time in school environment and learn more information rather than just wasting their time in home and doing nothing.
In conclusion, in many countries almost all schools remain closed for longer duration, and in my perspective it has some positive impact on lives. The children and parents get some time for entertainment and making some trips to met their relatives. However, some others favour the shorter school holidays in order to provide them more oppurtunities to wark haed and make their carees.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. In the introduction, you clearly state your position that long holidays provide time for family bonding and managing assignments. Throughout the body paragraphs, you provide relevant ideas and examples, such as visiting extended family. However, some arguments are slightly under-developed or contain logical leaps, such as claiming that long holidays allow married women to visit their parents' house because shorter breaks would lead to 'short attendance and performances'. To reach a higher band, ensure that all supporting points are fully explained and directly related to the core question without relying on convoluted examples.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay has a clear overall arrangement with a distinct introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. You use standard cohesive devices to signal transitions, such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, paragraphing and referencing are occasionally faulty. For instance, the second body paragraph consists of only one short sentence ('On the other hand, a few individuals argue...'), which disrupts the flow and structural balance of the essay. Additionally, some pronouns and referencing links are unclear, requiring the reader to work harder to follow the progression of your ideas. Improving sentence-to-sentence linking and ensuring balanced paragraphs will enhance coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your main ideas. You attempt some less common vocabulary items, such as 'academic environment', 'convenience', and 'entertainment', but there are notable errors in word choice and collocation. Examples include 'call off' instead of 'close' or 'break up', 'larger duration of time' instead of 'extended period', and 'shool couldn't allows other log term holidays'. Spelling mistakes such as 'asginments', 'understading', 'ouside', 'chidren', 'generaly', 'attendace', 'shcool', 'implemente', 'met', 'oppurtunities', 'wark', 'haed', and 'carees' also occur frequently. These errors indicate a need for closer proofreading to ensure accurate lexical control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and conditional structures. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors throughout the text. Noticeable errors include missing prepositions and articles ('In majority of countries', 'in home'), subject-verb agreement issues ('It also help', 'schools couldn't allows'), and awkward phrasing ('time to passed at home'). Punctuation is also problematic in places, with extra spaces and incorrect comma placements. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur with high frequency and prevent the essay from achieving a higher band score. Greater attention to basic grammar rules and tense consistency is necessary.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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