Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

In number of countries, primary and secondary schools are closed for two or more months during the summer holidays.

Every now and then, a holiday is required to refreshen our mind and recharge us for the next challenge or test in our life. The value of long school holiday is that we get to enjoy and utilize our free time for something that truly matters to us, whether it be hanging out with friends, visit your family or cousins, go for a trip in the mountains, etc. These thing can help rewire a persons brain which results in better functionality.

For example, during one of my summer holidays i went to see my aunt in Lahore. I travelled with my cousins and reached there the very same day. My total stay there was for one month and i made sure that i did something exciting everyday like going to park with my cousins, going to a cinema, eating fast food, etc. In general i just enjoyed that summer holiday very much, of course it was hot but it didn't stop us from enjoying our trip to Lahore.

Regarding shorter school holidays, I am not in the favour of reducing the length of school holidays because these are very important to support our mental health and also give us new experiences in life. We need a break every now and then. However, some people may argue the other way and that is fine because everybody has their own perspective on everything in life.

Keeping in mind the daily hurdles and challenges we go through, getting a break for a month or two every year doesn't sound very bad to me. Infact, it is ultimately good for your brain. Once you are back from your vacations you are almost a new person and perform better then before.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the value of long holidays and state your view on shorter ones, so both parts of the prompt are recognisable. The personal account of visiting your aunt illustrates how a break can provide enjoyable experiences, and you also mention rest and mental health. However, the second question asks for arguments in favour of shorter holidays, and this is not really developed: you mainly explain why you oppose shortening them, then say that other perspectives are acceptable. Add specific supporting arguments, such as maintaining learning routines, reducing learning loss, or helping working parents, and explain them with an example. Your ideas about the benefits of long holidays also need clearer explanation beyond enjoyment and a general claim about brain function; this limited development keeps the response only partially complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable paragraph structure: it introduces the topic, explains benefits, gives a personal example, and then discusses shorter holidays before concluding. The example about Lahore is relevant to the point about using free time, and transitions such as “For example” and “Regarding shorter school holidays” help signal shifts. However, the overall progression is weakened because the paragraph on shorter holidays does not develop the arguments in favour requested by the task, and the conclusion largely repeats the earlier claim that breaks are beneficial. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated “every now and then,” while “However” introduces an opposing view that is not subsequently explained. Organise the response around the two questions and use clearer links between each claim and its supporting explanation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate familiar ideas about holidays and leisure, including “recharge,” “mental health,” “experiences,” and “daily hurdles and challenges.” The personal example also gives you opportunities to use topic-related language. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or informal, which reduces precision: “refreshen our mind” is not a natural expression, “These thing” is imprecise, and “fast food” does not clearly support the argument. Phrases such as “something that truly matters to us” and “everybody has their own perspective on everything in life” are broad rather than task-specific. Aim for more precise academic collocations and vocabulary about learning, routines, family responsibilities, and educational outcomes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including a relative clause in “These thing can help rewire a persons brain which results in better functionality” and a conditional structure in “whether it be hanging out with friends.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but errors recur in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “These thing” should be plural, “a persons brain” needs a possessive form, and “whether it be hanging out with friends, visit your family” does not maintain parallel grammar. There are also inconsistent capitalisation and punctuation choices, such as lowercase “i” and the comma splice in “it was hot but it didn't stop us.” Check agreement and parallel structures, and proofread sentence boundaries and capital letters.

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