Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-01

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)

A highly controversial issue today relates to whether to have in the summer primary and secondary schools close for two months. In this essay, I am going to examine this question from both points of view and then explain how these vacations are valued for young minds.

There are people who argue that the benefits of long term off days impect students more positively because they get relaxed and recharged themselves to work hard and get highier grades. For instance, when they enjoyed alot and stay away from the school, its quite more memorable time for them to make memories with friends and with near and dear ones. The main reason for believing that, after enjoying quality time, they focus more and put attention to their work because their bodies are fully recharged and ready to shine. Considerably. It is also possible to say that One good illustration of this is everything needs space or time to regain enery by having some free time.

On the other hand, others believe that this period must be shorter than two months. It is often argued, that student have less time to prepare for exams because they totaly leave the studies behind. People often have this argument because their children are getting lower percentage and facing hurddles and shortage of time to cover their curruculm on time. A second point is that when they could not get the target scores , they are not able to get their dream goals or jobs which lead them towards frustration and stress like diseases.

In conclusion, I believe both arguments have their own significant place. On balance, however, I feel that this period of time should be decrease in the sake of students' goals because to secure the future is more important than relaxation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments for shorter ones, alongside a clear personal position in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat limited and under-developed. For instance, the discussion on how students get relaxed and recharged in the first body paragraph relies on repetitive statements like 'they get relaxed and recharged themselves' and 'their bodies are fully recharged' without fully extending the argument with specific, concrete examples. Similarly, the arguments for shorter holidays mention exam preparation and stress, but the supporting explanations are brief and lack depth. To move to a higher band, the response needs to extend and support ideas more fully with richer explanations rather than repeating similar points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding stance. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing viewpoints. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty and mechanical. The writer relies on basic and somewhat repetitive transitional markers like 'For instance', 'Considerably', 'On the other hand', and 'A second point'. Furthermore, referencing and logical progression within sentences occasionally falter, such as the abrupt transition in 'Considerably. It is also possible to say that One good illustration of this is everything needs space...', which disrupts the smooth flow of ideas. To achieve a higher band, the essay would benefit from more varied and precise cohesive devices that link ideas naturally without drawing attention to themselves.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'controversial issue', 'curriculum', and 'frustration', but these attempts are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and spelling. Examples include 'impect' instead of 'impact', 'long term off days', 'totaly', 'hurddles', and 'curruculm'. Additionally, phrasing such as 'stress like diseases' is unnatural and reflects a restricted lexical range that causes some difficulty for the reader. To improve, the student needs to expand their vocabulary range, pay closer attention to word formation, and ensure accurate spelling and collocation throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a limited range of structures, relying primarily on simple sentences alongside some attempts at complex forms that are frequently faulty. There are noticeable errors in grammar, punctuation, and word order, such as 'relates to whether to have in the summer primary and secondary schools close', 'when they enjoyed alot', 'student have less time' (subject-verb agreement), and 'this period of time should be decrease' (passive voice error). Punctuation errors, such as unnecessary commas before dependent clauses ('It is often argued, that student...'), are also present. These frequent errors persist and can cause some difficulty for the reader. To progress, the writer should aim to increase grammatical accuracy and exercise greater control over complex sentence patterns.

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.