Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-19

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)

Several elementary schoools around the globe close their facilities for a couple of months while summer holidays are happening. In this essay, I will be describing both viewpoints in order to provide a comprehensive overview of this matter.

First and Foremost, longer school holidays can provide broader time to shared between relatives which might siginificantly enhance social relationships among them. The main value of summer holidays in primary and seconday schools is help to reduce academic burden in adolescents enhancing their decisions when returned to class that can improve their academic set-skills. Moreover, in these extended periods of free time families have a time to rest from their daily routine focusing just in sharing moments, situations and capacity building which can significantly reduce mental health challenges.

On the other hand, shorther holidays in primary and secondary educational facilities might negatively impact younger communities, mainly on their mental health as reduce time might to shared among relatives increases toughts of precaution and stress. Futhermore, limited holidays not only can affect mental health in students but might also impacted their relatives as free time it is not enought to develop effective relationships at home.

Ultimately, longer periods to rest for young leaners can definitevly improve familie's mental health and social relationships due to the extended periods of time among them improving social status and encouraging family rapport. By contrast, shorter time can negatively impact these communities well-being as increases the feeling of stress about coming back to study which affect their knowledge and decision making skills when returned to classes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions by discussing benefits of longer holidays and concerns about shorter ones, and your position in favour of longer breaks is clear in the conclusion. Relevant points include family time, relief from academic pressure, and students’ mental health. However, the response does not fully develop the arguments: for example, it says holidays can improve “academic set-skills” and decision-making, but does not explain how rest produces these outcomes or give a concrete example. The case for shorter holidays is also presented mainly as a negative effect on families and students, rather than explaining why supporters favour them, such as maintaining learning continuity or easing childcare pressures. Develop each side with clearer reasoning and specific support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two viewpoints, and a concluding summary. Transitions such as “On the other hand,” “Moreover,” and “Ultimately” help signal the direction of the discussion, and the overall progression is easy to follow. This meets the expectation of coherent organisation, with some effective linking. However, the links are sometimes mechanical, and the second body paragraph repeats the same point about family time and mental health rather than advancing a distinct argument for shorter holidays. Some references are also unclear, as in “these communities” and “which affect their knowledge.” To strengthen progression, give each paragraph a distinct central claim and use pronouns only when their reference is unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “academic burden,” “mental health challenges,” “social relationships,” and “family rapport.” These choices show an effort to discuss the issue beyond basic terms. However, the range is limited by repeated ideas and several inaccurate or unnatural word choices that can make meaning difficult to follow. For instance, “broader time to shared” and “academic set-skills” do not express the intended ideas clearly, while “thoughts of precaution” is an unsuitable phrase for stress or anxiety. Spelling errors such as “schoools,” “siginificantly,” and “seconday” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural collocations and check spelling; vocabulary should clarify your reasoning rather than obscure it.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “which” and “as,” and the response is generally understandable. However, complex structures are often faulty, and frequent errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to interpret. Examples include “The main value … is help to reduce,” where the verb pattern is incomplete, and “as reduce time might to shared,” which has problems with clause structure and verb forms. There are also errors in agreement and sentence construction, such as “which affect their knowledge,” and missing or misplaced grammatical elements in “families have a time to rest.” Practise building accurate sentences with one clear main clause, then add subordinate clauses only when their grammar is secure.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.