Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-11

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)

Holidays from the study help them to feel relaxed. Nowadays, primary and secondary schools close for two or more months in the summer holidays to provide students an opportunity for being relaxed and enjoy their life.

On the one hand, long school holidays allow students to be relaxed from their daily routine of attending classes and doing homework. In these holidays students go for a trip with their families and friends. Consequently, the outing will help them to explore different culture as well as enjoy their life making memories. Students spent more time with their families which help them bond more closely to their parents. For instance, I still remember when I visited the murree with my family in summer holidays when I was in 5th grade.

On the other hand, some people argue that the summer holidays should be shorter. Because some students after the long break from study find difficult to focus on their studies. Some students just lose thier interest in education especially the younger ones. So shorter holidays provide students to enjoy their life and easily get back to their routine. For example a student enrolled in kindergarten may find difficulty in memorising alphabets which he studies before the summer vacation.

In conclusion, longer summer holidays allow students to relax and enjoy their life making memories while shorter holidays helps students to get back to their routine easily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both questions: the first body paragraph explains how long holidays allow students to rest, travel and spend time with family, while the second gives reasons shorter breaks may help students return to study. The Murree trip and kindergarten example make the discussion relevant. However, the ideas remain limited and are not developed in enough detail; for example, you mention exploring other cultures but do not explain what students learn from this. Your opening mainly repeats the situation rather than establishing a clear overall position, and the conclusion only summarises. The response is 18 words below the required minimum, so it also needs more development. Add specific explanation or examples to each side and make your view clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs signalled by “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a conclusion. This makes the main comparison easy to follow. Within paragraphs, however, ideas are sometimes joined mechanically or without clear links. For instance, “Because some students after the long break…” is a sentence fragment, and “So shorter holidays…” follows it without fully explaining the connection. The repeated references to students and holidays also make progression feel repetitive. Use complete sentences and clearer links between each claim and its explanation; paragraphing the opening and conclusion more distinctly would also strengthen the overall flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “daily routine,” “bond,” “focus on their studies,” and “summer vacation.” There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “explore different culture” and “memorising alphabets.” However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or unnatural, particularly “enjoy their life” and “provide students to enjoy their life.” Spelling and word-form errors such as “thier” and “spent” where the intended meaning is habitual also affect accuracy. Aim for more precise collocations and vary repeated expressions. For example, describe holidays as giving students “time to recharge” or helping them “maintain academic continuity,” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “which he studies before the summer vacation” and a result link with “Consequently.” Meaning is generally understandable, but errors occur in sentence construction, agreement, tense and articles. “Because some students after the long break from study find difficult” is incomplete and is missing a subject complement (“find it difficult”); “Students spent more time… which help them” shifts tense and has faulty agreement. The opening also has an awkward infinitive construction. Practise building complete clauses and checking that subjects and verbs agree. More accurate control of these patterns would make your ideas easier to read.

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