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 countries, there is a trend of more than 2 months summer vacations for primary and secondary school children. Some people argue that it is good to have much holidays, while other disagree with it. But we will discuss both of the opinions with the right examples as well.

Firstly, when there are enough holidays children can get enough time to relax mentally and physically. And this is highly important for small age students since whole year they interacted with large books and bags. Moreover, psychology says for the refreshment and mental stability people need to do something else which they usually not do to reduce stress and consciousness as well. For example: If a person doing one thing continuously with similar kind of behaviour and energy his mind will be exhausted and he face consequences that are bad for his health.

Secondly, due to more holidays the bond of family become much stronger. The siblings spend their time together and enjoy each other behaviour. For example: In two months vacation, a family can think about foreign trips which require time. Like, Umrah wants time to complete and most of the Islamic families often go for this trip and on the west parents planned trips to other countries. So this is why it should have more holidays.

However, there are some drawbacks as well which we need to be consider also. When children stays at home, they can be distract and when they come back to school it would be difficult to handle them especially primary school students. Since their routine has been changed for a long time. For instance: Remember corona time when most of the students left their schools as they didn't came back to their schools for a long. And now those students explain that due to that reason we left out studies.

To sum up, there are benefits and drawbacks of long term holidays. Although, benefits are more than the disadvantages and the proven examples are there but one thing should be there and it is not more that 90 days vacation allowed in primary and secondary schools so save the future and mental health of students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions by explaining the benefits of longer holidays—rest and family time—and giving an argument for shorter breaks: students may lose routine and struggle to return to school. Your overall view is also clear: you favour longer holidays, while suggesting a limit. These points are relevant, but they are not equally developed. The discussion of rest is supported by a general example about exhaustion, while the family-travel example is more specific; the case for shorter holidays is comparatively brief and relies on the COVID-19 disruption, which is not quite the same as a regular summer break. To strengthen the response, explain more directly how shorter holidays could support learning and routine, and develop the examples so their relevance is clear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two paragraphs on benefits, a paragraph on a drawback, and a conclusion. Sequencing is generally easy to follow, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “However” help show the direction of the argument. However, some linking is mechanical, and a few connections are unclear. For example, “Moreover, psychology says…” does not clearly connect the general claim to the preceding point, while “So this is why it should have more holidays” repeats the paragraph’s conclusion. The final paragraph also introduces a 90-day limit without explaining how it follows from the discussion. Use clearer references between claims and examples, and make each paragraph’s central point and conclusion connect more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “mentally and physically,” “mental stability,” “routine,” and “drawbacks.” There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “bond of family” and “consequences,” but several choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, sometimes making the reader pause. Examples include “much holidays,” “small age students,” “reduce stress and consciousness,” and “enjoy each other behaviour.” Some wording is also repetitive, particularly “holidays” and “students.” Aim for more precise, natural combinations and check word forms: for instance, use “a stronger family bond,” “young pupils,” and “reduce stress and improve well-being.” This greater control would make your ideas clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “when,” “since,” and “although,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction recur. For example, “the bond of family become” needs a singular verb, and “When children stays at home” has a subject–verb agreement error. In “a person doing one thing… his mind will be exhausted,” the clause structure is incomplete, while “it should have more holidays” does not form a clear grammatical expression of your recommendation. Some punctuation also creates fragments, such as the opening “And” sentence. Practise building complete clauses and checking subject–verb agreement and tense, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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