Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-07

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 many countries, primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer vacations. Skills developement is the most important value of long school vacations while due to long vacations, students become lazy.

The most significant reason in the favour of long holidays is skills development. Summer holidays provide opportunities to a students to develop their skills, what they learn in schools. In addition, summer holidays also valuable for a students to release their stress and make their mind calm after a haptic routine of school. For example, in western countries, many students utlilize their summer vacations in doing interships and some of them go to favourite places to release their stress.

By contrast, some people argue in favour of shorter holidays. The main reason for the arguments of shorter holidays is waste of time. Many students waste their time in summer vacations by spending a lot of time on smart phones. Furthermore, many students become lazy after getting a long summer holidays which makes them distracted from their goals. For instance, in asian countries, students spend their time on mobile phones in a long summer holidays.

To conclude, the conclusion is that long summer holidays are valuable if students utilize their time for the skills development. On the other hand, some people argue in favour of shorter holidays because many students waste their time on social media. Educational institutes should focus on the activities of students doing in holidays.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you identify skill development and stress relief as benefits of long holidays, and wasted time and reduced motivation as reasons for shorter breaks. The examples of internships and phone use are relevant, but the ideas are brief and general; for instance, you do not explain how internships build skills or how shorter breaks might prevent students from losing study habits. The conclusion repeats the main points rather than adding a developed final insight. The response is 227 words, so it is 23 words below the required minimum; 16 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. This limits the space available to explain and support your ideas fully. Develop each main point with a specific explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph on the value of long holidays, one on shorter holidays, and a conclusion. Contrast markers such as “By contrast” and “On the other hand” help signal the shift between the two sides. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, with repeated openings such as “The main reason” and repeated references to “summer holidays.” The conclusion also restates earlier points, including the repeated phrase “To conclude, the conclusion is that.” Use a wider range of linking and referencing, and make each paragraph progress from a claim to an explanation and then a specific example. This would make the connections between ideas smoother and less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “skills development,” “release their stress,” “internships,” and “distracted from their goals.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “utilize their summer vacations.” However, several word-choice and collocation problems make the writing less natural, for example “a haptic routine” and “the activities of students doing in holidays.” Spelling errors such as “developement” and “utlilize” are noticeable, and “summer vacations” is repeated frequently. Aim for accurate, natural combinations and check spelling; using alternatives such as “school break” and “holiday period” would also reduce repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some longer structures, including a subordinate clause in “Many students become lazy after getting a long summer holidays which makes them distracted from their goals.” The main ideas remain understandable, but errors in articles, agreement, plurals, and sentence construction occur across the response. For example, “opportunities to a students” has an article and number mismatch, while “summer holidays also valuable” is missing a verb. In “which makes them distracted,” the relative clause does not clearly agree with the preceding idea. The conclusion’s opening, “To conclude, the conclusion is that,” is also awkwardly constructed. Practise checking each sentence for a complete verb, correct singular or plural forms, and clear clause connections.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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