Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15

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 different countries, during summer usually primary and secondary schools are closed due to heat wave.It is very necessary to remain schools closed for two months;however, there are some drawbacks for having such long vacations.In this essay, I will discuss the value of long school vacations and what can be the solutions.

Long holidays in the summer are usually given due to harsh waether. Extreme temperature can create serious health problems for children including dehdyration and suffocation.The average annual temperature has increased as compare to past, so governments decided to close schools in summer.Moreover, summer holidays are the best time for student to study at the home and he/she can improve his/her weak study areas. For instance, I faced problem in math so in the summer vacations I improved my math with consistent learning of mathematics during my summer holidays and I got good results in my exams.However, most students spend these holidays in pleasure and do not focus on studies, so time duration of vacations should be limited.

The shorter school holidays are more beneficial because it keep student punctual and involve students in study regularly. Some students face difficulty in study after long vacations because they do not prepared well at home.In addition, the school timings can be changed specially during summer, classes can be plane at evening times to keep student involved in academic activities. For instance,my cousin went in the northern areas during the summer vacations and in exam he faced much study pressure.

In conclusion,it is crucial to close schools in summer for health of children but, teachers should teach students that how to preapre for exams in holidays so they can get good grades in study.However, school hours can be changed during summer and short classes should be take in the evening of the summer season.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions: you explain the value of long holidays through protection from extreme heat and time to improve weaker subjects, then give reasons for shorter breaks, including maintaining study routines. The personal maths example supports the benefit of holiday study, and the cousin’s experience illustrates the pressure of returning after a break. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the case for shorter holidays is brief, and the proposed evening classes are solutions rather than a fully explained argument for shorter holidays. Your position is generally clear, but the introduction promises to discuss “solutions,” which is not the task’s main focus. Develop the shorter-holiday arguments with clearer explanation and keep the response centred on the two questions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. Ideas generally progress in a sensible order, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “For instance,” and “In addition” help show relationships. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear: “However” shifts from the benefits of holiday study to students’ lack of focus without fully explaining the contrast, while the final paragraph combines several recommendations rather than drawing together the main arguments. Referencing is occasionally imprecise, as in “they do not prepared well at home,” where the subject and intended meaning are not clearly expressed. Use transitions that show the exact relationship between ideas, and make each paragraph’s central point more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “extreme temperature,” “health problems,” “punctual,” and “academic activities.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “consistent learning” and “study pressure.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which sometimes makes the reader pause. Examples include “harsh waether,” “study at the home,” “classes can be plane,” and “get good grades in study.” Spelling errors such as “dehdyration” and “preapre” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise set of phrases for school calendars and learning, and check spelling and natural word combinations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including cause-and-effect clauses (“because they do not prepared well at home”) and a relative clause (“the best time for student to study”). The overall meaning is usually understandable, but errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries recur. For example, “it keep student punctual” needs subject–verb agreement and a plural noun, while “they do not prepared” uses the wrong verb form after “do not.” Some sentences also run together after full stops, as in “heat wave.It” and “exams.However,” and the final sentence has an incorrect passive construction (“classes should be take”). Practise accurate basic sentence patterns first, then check verb forms and punctuation in longer sentences.

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