Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-29
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)
There is an ongoing debate about the holidays for the students of primary and secondary schools. Some people believe that it's beneficilal for the students because they can study at their home without any fear to be punished for any mistake. While others believe that the holidays should be shorter because mostly students waste their time in extraordinary things. Both statements have valid arguments.
First of all, in summer, the temperature is on its peak and it's good for the students to remain at thier homes. The schools should conduct online classes for the students and assign them tasks that should be checked after the holidays. However, If the students did not do the work, they should be fined for his incomplete work. This punishment should make them ready to do their work daily.
In contract, others believe that the holidays should be shorter. To a great extent, it can be agreed. Because the students have a alot of free time at their homes and they do not pay time to their study as they spend on the extraordinary things. For instance, if the schools are closed for two monts or more, the students may waste their time while thinking that they have a great palenty of time and will complete their work later. But unfortunately, they waste most of their holidays like this.
In conclusion, holidays are good for the students so that they can self study and enhance their knowledge. But if the holidays are too much, it can have negative effects uopn them. Moreover, the schools should give students home tasks and the parents should be strict to them with respect to studies.
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 both parts of the prompt, exploring the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. The writer presents a clear position throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the discussion on the value of long holidays focuses heavily on online classes and penalising students, which is an unusual interpretation of self-study benefits. The arguments regarding shorter holidays are more relevant, pointing out how students waste their time. While all parts are addressed, the ideas would benefit from deeper extension and more realistic examples. Therefore, this performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt at paragraphing, separating the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Progression is visible, moving from the introduction of the debate to the two opposing viewpoints. However, cohesion is frequently faulty or mechanical. The transitional phrases used, such as 'First of all' and 'In contract' (a typo for 'contrast'), feel forced rather than smoothly integrated. Furthermore, pronoun referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'his incomplete work' when referring to plural students. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within the paragraphs lacks sophistication. Overall, the organizational structure meets the criteria for Band 6.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'extraordinary things' and 'enhance their knowledge'. However, there are frequent lexical errors and inappropriate word choices throughout the text. For example, 'beneficilal' is misspelled, 'temperature is on its peak' is unnatural phrasing, and 'pay time to their study' is an incorrect collocation. Additionally, repeating phrases like 'extraordinary things' restricts the vocabulary range. While communication is generally maintained despite these errors, the density of word-choice inaccuracies prevents the essay from reaching a higher band, making Band 5.0 the most accurate description.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like conditional sentences ('if the schools are closed for two months...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the response. Examples include subject-verb and pronoun agreement issues ('mostly students waste their time', 'fined for his incomplete work'), spelling mistakes ('monts', 'uopn'), and awkward phrasing ('without any fear to be punished'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, their frequency means that error-free sentences are not in the majority, which places this performance firmly at Band 5.0.
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.