Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-27

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)

Holidays are the most favorite thing for any child. Children wait for their summer holidays so they can have fun but from sometime this has become a topic of debate weather the duration of holidays should be reduced or if its not reduced what value does long school holidays contain .This essay will cover both points.

Holidays is the most interesting thing a child can ever have. Away from huzz-buzz of the school a child can finally have a rest and they can focus on their hobbies or can go to vacations with their families or can learn new skills long school holidays provide time for students so they can prepare for their exams or can prepare for any sports event. I remember when i was child i can have long holidays like other countries in India holidays are for only a month whereas in other countries students are given 2-3 moths break. I still remember a time when i used to forgot eat food because i was that interested with playing with my friends. Long break provides you time that can you use to have improvement in yourself.

Longer holidays is also nightmare for parents as children force their parents to go on vacation with them. Parents have to babysit their children all time. Also it has been noticed that when children come their break the suffer from learning loss. It creates burden on them as they have face academic pressure from their holidays also parents also force students to get good grades.

Although long breaks are good for students it gives them time for personal exploration and to learn new skills but because of this they have to face academic pressure. In my opinion a balanced calendar should be introduced in which child could mange both his study and the skills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing both the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter breaks, and concludes with a clear personal position. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the discussion on the value of holidays touches on hobbies and family time ('focus on their hobbies or can go to vacations with their families'), but these ideas remain underdeveloped and are mixed with personal anecdotes rather than fully extended arguments. The counterarguments regarding parents and learning loss are stated simply without deep elaboration. While the prompt is adequately covered to fulfill the requirements, the support for main points tends to rely on generalisations. Consequently, the performance aligns best with Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a logical overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing each prompt question, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas, such as the benefits of holidays versus the drawbacks. However, cohesion is often faulty or mechanical. The writing lacks necessary punctuation, leading to run-on sentences and comma splices, such as in the opening sentence ('weather the duration of holidays should be reduced or if its not reduced what value does long school holidays contain .This essay will cover both points.') and throughout the body paragraphs. Furthermore, referencing and cohesive ties are weak, making the progression between ideas feel abrupt at times. Therefore, the coherence and cohesion reflect a solid Band 5.5 performance.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully communicating everyday concepts related to school holidays, hobbies, and academic pressure. Attempts are made to use less common vocabulary, such as 'huzz-buzz' (intended as 'bustle'), 'personal exploration', and 'academic pressure', though these are sometimes marred by spelling and word-choice inaccuracies (e.g., 'weather' instead of 'whether', 'forgot eat' instead of 'forget to eat', 'mange' instead of 'manage'). Spelling errors like 'moths' for 'months' and 'huzz-buzz' indicate lapses in lexical control. However, these errors do not severely impede overall communication. The vocabulary usage is characteristic of a Band 5.5 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak. There is a heavy reliance on continuous compound sentences linked by coordinating conjunctions or run together without punctuation or proper capitalization (e.g., 'Parents have to babysit their children all time. Also it has been noticed that when children come their break the suffer from learning loss.'). Frequent errors in subject-verb agreement, missing articles, and preposition use ('go on vacation', 'come their break') are noticeable and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Due to the high frequency of grammatical and punctuation errors despite attempts at complex structures, this response fits comfortably into Band 5.0.

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