Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

In many countries, pimary and secondary schools close for two months or more during the summer holidays, Although long holidays can provide students with several benefit, there are also strong argumments in favour of shorter school holidays.

Firt of all, long holidays give students more time to relax and enjoy themselves. They can playing video games , spend time with their freinds and family, travel to defferent places and have new experience. In addition, a long break can help students reduce the pressure caysed by studyng and exams.for example, after a stressful school year, students may need several weeks to rest and return to school with more motivation.

On the other hand, shorter holidays can have important advantages. The main benefit is that students can manage their time more effectively and remain focused on their studies. Long holidays may lead to disractions such as playing video games, scrolling through socizl media and watching TV. In contrast, shorter breaks can encourage students to maintain a regular study routine and develop greater discipline.Forthermore, students may find it easier to remember what they have learned when they do not have a very long break between shool terms.

Finally, both long and short school holidays have advantages and disadvantages. however, shoerter holidays can help students stay focused, manage their time and maintain their learning routine. Therefore,the length of school holidays should be carefully considered by each country according to the needs pf its students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the task, examining the value of long school holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. Ideas are relevant, such as relaxation and reduced stress for long breaks, and improved time management and routine for shorter breaks. However, the development is somewhat limited and the response falls short of the 250-word minimum, containing only 240 words. This under-length penalty prevents the score from reaching a higher band. To achieve a Band 7 or above, the ideas should be more fully extended and supported with concrete examples, and the word count requirement must be strictly met.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text is arranged with a clear overall structure, utilizing a standard four-paragraph format that introduces the topic, discusses both sides, and concludes. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'First of all', 'In addition', 'On the other hand', and 'Finally', though some referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical. There are minor punctuation and capitalization issues that disrupt the flow slightly, but the progression of ideas remains logical and easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with attempts at less common items such as 'disractions', 'discipline', and 'routine'. However, there are several spelling errors ('pimary', 'argumments', 'Firt', 'caysed', 'studyng', 'defferent', 'socizl', 'Forthermore', 'shool', 'shoerter') and a few word-choice slips like 'playing video games' used where a gerund phrase is needed after 'can playing'. The range is somewhat limited, but communication is rarely impeded by the lexical inadequacies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over sentence structure. However, there are frequent grammatical and mechanical errors, particularly missing capitalization at the beginning of sentences and after periods, incorrect verb forms ('can playing'), and typos. While many sentences are understandable, the accumulation of basic mechanical and grammatical errors prevents the response from achieving a Band 6.0, as error frequency is somewhat high relative to the short text length.

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