Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-24
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)
Countries in which schools give holidays to students based on traditional and legal aspects are considered more developed and prosperous . Summer vacation is the most relevant example for long holidays . It starts from mostly June and ends in August carrying a proper structure of a whole year Schedule .
Long school holidays carry a great amount of value for everyone including Teachers,Students and other staff working in a school . Both primary and Secondary schools have plans for Summer which includes the advancements in academics of Students , trining of teachers and in few cases managing the infrastructure of Schools and career aspects of teachers working there , just in case of an example when we were spending Vacations in our schooling there were lots of activities which were given in summer Vacation by our School such as homework of whole 2 months and other co currical activities which includ the contribution of parents and socities making the relationship between every individual much stronger . Summer vacations helped government owned schools a bit relief in regards of expenditiures . Students and teachers come more energetic after such long vacation .
In regards of shorter school holidays which happen mostly in winter for Asian region and in some emergency cases some days are being off by School authorities it gives a bit of negtive perception . After spending a whole bunch of holidays there shouldnt be more delays in educational aspects as it effects the youth meningful time to get trained and highly educated enough to make a mark in society afterwards . Education is basic and most vital right of any human being so getting delayed in that aspect will cause disruption in most cases and eventually a huge amount of investment on great minds will not be payoff as expected .
The best example regarding short term emergency vacations is the political breakthroughs in some countries which significantly have effected the school education system badly . Mostly Pakistan , Syria , Palestine and some European Schools have face dsuch short term vacational collapses causing effect on Education of Students and careers of renowned preachers
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the value of long school holidays (such as academic advancements, teacher training, and family bonding) as well as the arguments in favour of shorter holidays (preventing educational disruption and maintaining momentum). A position is evident throughout the writing, though some ideas are slightly generalised or under-developed, particularly in the discussion on short holidays which shifts into emergency or political closures. Examples are provided, such as personal schooling experiences and general regional references, which support the main ideas. While the development of arguments is somewhat uneven, all core requirements of the task are met satisfactorily.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text is arranged into four paragraphs, providing a logical overall structure moving from introduction to the value of long holidays, arguments for short holidays, and examples of disruptions. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally mechanical or faulty. For instance, transitional phrases like 'just in case of an example when we were spending Vacations' are awkward and impede smooth progression. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion markers are sometimes over-used or inaccurate, and referencing between ideas lacks seamless integration, leading to a somewhat disjointed reading experience in places.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary range is adequate for the task, attempting less common items such as 'prosperous', 'expendituures', and 'breakthroughs'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('trining', 'currical', 'tring', 'mengingful', 'payoff', 'face dsuch') and awkward word choices or collocations, such as 'carrying a proper structure' or 'giving a bit of negtive perception'. While these lexical inadequacies and spelling errors occasionally strain the reader, communication is still maintained, which places the response firmly at the Band 5.5 to 6.0 threshold.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in article usage, punctuation, and capitalization (e.g., unnecessary capital letters in 'Teachers,Students', 'Vacation', 'Schools'). Run-on sentences and problematic clause structures appear regularly, such as 'Education is basic and most vital right of any human being so getting delayed in that aspect will cause disruption'. Despite these recurring mistakes, simple sentences are generally understandable and communication is rarely completely blocked.
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