Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-30
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)
The term of summer holidays in school is an important decision and is worth discussing. In many countries, primary and secondary schools have a schedule of minimum two month of summer holidays. However, i belive long school holidays can be more beneficial in many aspects.
The long school holidays of more than two months plays a vital role in students lives. Students gets break from studies which allow then to plan a vacation with their families or involve in some outdoor games or learn some practical skills. Changing the regular routine can be so nourishing for the mental health of a human. As a result, when school resumes the students come with high energies and fresh minds and better abilities which leads to their better performances afterwards. For instance, the balance between study and life will not make student feel exhausted and overwhelming.
On the other hand, shorter school holidays of less than two months can have it's own positive impacts as it does not break the pattern of daily routine and at the same time students can also have a little rest for refreshing their minds. When more time will be given to students for exams prepration and they can have better results which can be beneficial for their future. For example: A student performing best in class will more likely spends most of his/her time in studies.
Overall, each side has it's own value and importance. Where long school holidays can contribute to overall satisfaction levels, at the same time shorter holidays can contribute to outstanding educational results. Making decison in this regard is equally important for each country depending on what is more beneficial for it's students.
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 in the second paragraph and the arguments in favour of shorter holidays in the third paragraph. A clear position is maintained throughout, noting that both have distinct benefits. However, the ideas are somewhat generalized and lack full development with concrete examples. For instance, the example provided for shorter holidays ('A student performing best in class will more likely spends most of his/her time in studies') is vague and grammatically confused. Despite these limitations in development and support, all parts of the task are addressed, positioning this response firmly at Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, two body paragraphs addressing the prompt's two questions, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'However', 'As a result', 'On the other hand', and 'Overall', establishing a clear overall progression. However, some referencing is slightly imprecise, and cohesion can feel mechanical in places. For example, 'allow then to plan' and minor connective awkwardness slightly disrupt the flow. Overall, the arrangement is coherent, satisfying the criteria for Band 6.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases such as 'nourishing for the mental health', 'balance between study and life', and 'satisfaction levels'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'term of summer holidays' instead of 'length', 'involve in' instead of 'engage in', and spelling errors like 'belive', 'gets', and 'prepration'. These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures with 'when', 'where', and relative clauses. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Students gets', 'student feel ... overwhelming'), article misuse ('minimum two month'), and incorrect prepositions or verb forms ('does not break the pattern', 'will be given ... and they can have'). While these errors do not completely obscure meaning, they persist throughout the text and prevent the score from reaching a higher band, placing the grammar securely at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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