Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-16

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, primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays.While ,long holidays offer several benifits to the students. Some individuals believes that shorter holidays werw usefull for students. The essay will discuss in the value of long school holidays and the arguments in the favour of school holidays.

On the other hand, long term holidays are extreamly valuable for the children. The have enough time time to relax after the studying days.In schools time they have to attend the class, complete homework or preparation for an exams. Holidays are the days when students reduce their stress. On holidays, students usually spend their time in learing new skills, spending quality time with their friends, playind various outdoor games. For example, some people can learn oneline skills like facebook marketing,graphic designing and other oneline skill that will be useful for their future. Some students like to play cricket with theie friends. Some students like to spend a quality time with their friend.

On the other hand, their are some several arguments in favour or shorter school holidays. Students may forget important information or topics when they can stay away from their studies for a long time .As a result, teacher have to spend extra time in reviewing. Secondly,Students usually spend their time in useless activities .As a result they becomes fail.

in conclusion, long school holidays allow students to rest, enjoy family time and learn practical skills. However, shorter holidays can help them remember their lessons and maintain a consistent learning routine. In my opinion, schools should provide a balanced holiday schedule that gives students enough time to relax without affecting their education.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both questions: it explains that long holidays allow rest, time with friends, outdoor activities and practical skill learning, then gives reasons for shorter breaks, including retaining information and reducing review time for teachers. The conclusion also presents a balanced view in favour of a schedule that protects both rest and learning. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The examples of online skills and cricket are relevant, but the benefits and drawbacks are mostly listed rather than explained in depth; the claim that students may fail through “useless activities” is especially unclear and unsupported. The opening also promises to discuss the topic without establishing a clear position. Develop each main reason with a clearer explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a recognisable overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion that summarises the discussion. Basic linking expressions such as “On the other hand,” “For example,” “As a result,” and “in conclusion” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven: the long-holiday paragraph moves through rest, skills and friends without clearly grouping or developing these points, while the shorter-holiday paragraph is brief and its final claim is not logically explained. “On the other hand” is also repeated to introduce both main arguments, which makes the linking mechanical. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each supporting example directly to the point it illustrates.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate its main ideas, including “reduce their stress,” “practical skills,” “reviewing,” and “learning routine.” It also attempts more specific expressions such as “graphic designing” and “outdoor games.” However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “benifits,” “extreamly,” “learing,” “oneline,” and “usefull.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise, such as “in the favour of school holidays” and “students becomes fail,” which can make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for education and holidays; choose precise wording rather than repeating “students” and “time.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response mainly relies on simple sentences, with a few attempts to show cause and effect using “when,” “as a result,” and “that.” These structures help convey the basic argument, but the range remains limited and errors occur frequently. Examples include “Some individuals believes,” “The have enough time time,” “teacher have to spend,” and “they becomes fail,” where subject–verb agreement or sentence formation is faulty. There are also problems with articles and sentence boundaries, as in “preparation for an exams” and the missing space or punctuation after the opening sentence. Practise accurate simple clauses first, then build longer sentences with subordinate clauses, checking agreement, articles and punctuation in each.

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