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)
In the modern era , vacations are very
important because it help individuals to take rest from their ling time hectic schedual . some people beleive that long school holidays are benficial . it help them to refresh and improve concerntration .But other pepole think that shorter holidays are better . shorter holidays help it to cover gap between syllabus and current topic . This essay will dicuss benfits of both longer and shorter breaks
On the one hand , some individuals beleive that longer breaks are valuable . because students do study from long time . they are annoyed from busy schedual . they are occupied in their studies and have no time to spend with their family and play games . Moreover, learners can learn new skills in vacation which is useful for them in future. For example , students can learn cooking so that they become independent and earn money with the using their skill. If students have long holidays then they can expoler the world with their family so that they learn new language , culture and spend time with their family.
On the other hand , some people think that shorter vactions are benfit. students can regular with their studies . they not forget that thing which they study . shorter holiday help them to continue with their topic . furthermore , shorter holiday help them to maintain their routine . with this they can manage their education and sports. . students can easily return to study because their concentration levle will improve after break . they grab new topic easily .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones, as shown when the writer mentions that longer breaks help students refresh and explore the world, while shorter holidays help cover gaps in the syllabus. However, the ideas remain limited and under-developed. For instance, the point about learning cooking to earn money is stated rather than logically extended with deeper explanation. The position is visible throughout the essay, but the lack of fully fleshed-out examples and generalised reasoning keeps the task response at a restricted level where the content is only partially explored.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay displays some overall organisation with a clear introduction and separate body paragraphs addressing each side of the prompt, such as starting paragraphs with phrases like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. However, the progression is sometimes hindered by mechanical or repetitive use of cohesive devices, and referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in sentences like 'shorter holidays help it to cover gap'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow within paragraphs lacks seamless transitions. While the overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow the writer's line of thought, the management of cohesion requires more variety and accuracy to achieve a higher level of progression.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, with noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word form that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. There are frequent spelling mistakes throughout the text, including words like 'schedual', 'beleive', 'benficial', 'concerntration', and 'expoler'. Word choices are also frequently awkward or imprecise, such as 'shorter vactions are benfit' instead of 'shorter vacations are beneficial', and incorrect collocations appear when the writer uses 'with the using their skill'. While the writer attempts some topic-related vocabulary, the constant lexical slips restrict the range and precision of the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The grammatical range is limited, featuring mostly simple sentences alongside attempts at complex structures that are frequently faulty. There are persistent errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and articles throughout the text, such as 'vacations are very important because it help individuals' where singular and plural pronouns do not agree, and 'students do study from long time'. Punctuation and sentence boundary errors also occur, including extra spaces around punctuation marks and fragmented thoughts like 'because students do study from long time'. These frequent errors require the reader to decode the intended meaning, reflecting a restricted control over grammatical structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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