Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-14

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 nations, the summer holiday of primary and secondary schools lasts for two months or more. Many people believe that long holiday is suitable for student, while others argue that short holiday is more practical.

on the one hand, extended summer holidays may allow students to relax and enjoy Summer with their families. It also assist them to engage in different educational courses, learn new skills or visit a new country. In addition, children may miss their schools and their classmates and start to get ready and be excited to the next year. For example, in some European countries, students start small businesses in the summer holiday and make money for their own.

On the other hand, people who argue in fevour of short holidays, they think that they may help pupils to stay connected to the learning process and guarantee not to forget or be unfocused when return to school. Short holiday may not be enough for vacations but it will provide more time for the upcoming academic year. Consequently, this extended year will assist teachers in their job by providing more time to discuss lessons in details. For instance, many schools in the United States of America, have oly six weeks as summer holiday, therefore, student just clear their minds and prepare for a great new academic year.

In coclusion, many countries around the world have long school holidays in Summer. Some individuals value long holiday because it helps student plan how to spend his free days. In contrast, others think that short holiday is better and saves time for learning.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions by explaining benefits of longer breaks, such as rest, family time and learning new skills, and reasons for shorter breaks, including continuity in learning and more teaching time. The examples of students starting businesses and US schools having shorter summer holidays are relevant, but their connection to the claims is not fully explained. Some points are also unclear or under-developed: the idea that pupils “may miss their schools” is not expanded, and the conclusion mainly repeats the two positions rather than giving a clear, considered answer about the value of each. Develop each main reason with a specific explanation or example, and make your overall position explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help signal the contrast, while “For example” introduces supporting details. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and some links between ideas are unclear. For instance, the move from students missing school to becoming excited for the next year needs a clearer explanation. The sentence beginning “people who argue in favour of short holidays, they think” also disrupts the flow. Use referencing and linking more naturally, and ensure each sentence develops the point before moving to another.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “educational courses,” “learning process,” “academic year” and “classmates,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “stay connected to the learning process.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “long holiday is suitable for student,” “provide more time to discuss lessons in details” and “clear their minds.” Spelling errors such as “fevour,” “oly” and “coclusion,” along with inconsistent capitalisation of “summer,” reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “while,” “because” and “when,” and the overall meaning is usually clear. However, errors in agreement, articles and sentence construction recur. For example, “It also assist them” should have a plural subject-verb match, and “people who argue in favour of short holidays, they think” combines two sentence structures incorrectly. Other examples include “when return to school” and “student just clear their minds,” where the subject or verb form is not controlled. Work on accurate sentence patterns, especially subject–verb agreement and complete clauses, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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