Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-13
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)
It is often argued that plenty of nations closed their educational institutes for two months or more in the summer vacations. Many individuals think that this is not worth-it. In this essay i will give my own ideas about summer vacations.
On the one hand, every nation close there institutes in the summer to give some rest to students and staff. In these vacations students who want to develop their skills in any kind this is the golden chance for them to enhance their talents. For instance, if someone wants to become artist in future he/she can take classes of art to straight forward their hands towards art work.
On the other hand, some individuals argued that short vacations are best for students. In their mind long holidays make a distance in students academic profiles as students forgot their school work what they are studying. Short holidays are worth-it for those students who are weak in their studies. However, in short-term holidays parents are happy due to the reason is that their youngsters have no time to tease their homies because they have to prepare their summer work. For instance if student have short-term holidays he want to manage his all responsibilities.
In conclusion, I should prefer long vacations because plenty of teenagers and youngsters want to boost their skills in different fields and this is best time for all of them. Therefore short term holidays are only for relaxation in this short time students only manage their homework and home responsibilities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You address both questions: you explain that long holidays allow students to rest and develop skills, and you give reasons for shorter breaks, including keeping schoolwork fresh and helping weaker students. Your preference for long holidays is stated in the conclusion. However, the ideas are limited and often under-developed: the art-class example is relevant, but the benefits of rest and the claimed effects of shorter holidays need clearer explanation or support. The position is also not fully consistent, since you say short holidays are “best” before concluding that you prefer long ones. The response is 244 words, six words below the 250-word minimum; the eight words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop each argument more fully and make your position clear throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs signposted by “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a conclusion. This helps readers identify the two sides of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several links feel mechanical or do not show the relationship between ideas precisely. For example, “However” introduces a point about parents being happy, but the connection to the preceding claim about weaker students is not explained. The conclusion also repeats earlier points rather than drawing them together. Use clearer topic sentences, connect each example directly to its claim, and make references such as “this short time” more specific.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “summer vacations,” “skills,” “academic profiles,” and “responsibilities.” There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “enhance their talents.” However, the range is limited, and several inaccurate or unnatural choices make parts of the response difficult to interpret. “Straight forward their hands towards art work” does not clearly express the intended idea, while “make a distance in students academic profiles” is an unclear description of the effect of long holidays. “Worth-it” is also an unsuitable form in these sentences. Choose more precise collocations and check whether phrases sound natural in context; this will make your arguments easier to follow.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional example beginning “if someone wants to become artist” and a contrast introduced by “However.” Nevertheless, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to understand. Examples include “every nation close” instead of a correctly formed present-tense verb, “students forgot” where the tense should match the general claim, and “if student have” without correct subject–verb agreement or an article. The sentence “parents are happy due to the reason is that” also has a faulty structure. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and conditional forms, and divide overloaded sentences into clearer units.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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