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)

In many countries, school close for two months or longer the during the summer. While long holidays offer several benefits to students, some people beielve that shorter schools holday would be more beneficial.

One of the main benefits of long school holiday students have enough time to relac and recover the studies and, they can spend time with family and take part in activties they enjoy. Furthermore, students go the restaurents with their friends and also family, they would talk to each other for example, students can visit the relative house and visit the different places, or learn new skills during the summer break In adition, students improve english for the longer time vacation and communication skills.

On the other hand, shorter school holidays also have several advantages. Firstly, students can remember their lessons more easily because they do not have a long break from their studies. As a result, they can maintain a regular study routine and prepare better for their examinations. For example, students who attend classes regularly can revise important topics with the help of their teachers. Moreover, shorter holidays are helpful for working parents because they do not need to arrange childcare for a long period. Therefore, shorter school holidays can support both students and their families.

In conclusion, longer or shorter holiday both are benficial or the students because of students need to be break for the studies students sometime feel depressed because they have no relaxation they do work everyday. students set our routine in vacation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: the first body paragraph gives reasons for long holidays, including rest, family time and learning skills, while the second explains how shorter breaks can help students retain lessons and ease childcare pressures for working parents. These are relevant points, and the examples about revising with teachers and visiting relatives help illustrate them. However, the long-holiday ideas are mostly listed rather than explained, and some examples are unclear, so their value is not fully demonstrated. Your conclusion says both options are beneficial, but it does not clearly weigh the arguments or state which benefits matter most. Develop fewer points with clearer explanation and make your final position more definite.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. The transition “On the other hand” clearly signals the change in argument, and “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “Therefore” help guide the reader through the shorter-holiday paragraph. However, the first body paragraph moves rapidly between rest, family visits, restaurants, travel and language learning, with weak links between some points. The conclusion also repeats ideas without bringing the discussion together clearly. Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s main point, group related examples, and make references such as “they” and “both” unambiguous. This would make the progression smoother and cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “relax,” “study routine,” “examinations,” “childcare,” and “communication skills.” There are also attempts to express a range of activities and benefits. However, the vocabulary range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts difficult to understand, such as “relac,” “activties,” “restaurents,” and “benficial.” Some combinations are also unnatural, including “recover the studies” and “students improve english for the longer time vacation.” Choose more precise collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, describe students as “recovering from academic pressure” and say they can “develop their English skills during the extended break.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast in the introduction and cause-and-effect links such as “because” and “As a result.” The shorter-holiday paragraph is generally easier to follow because its sentences have clearer structures. However, errors in sentence formation and agreement occur often enough to affect clarity. For example, “school close” needs a plural subject or singular verb, “One of the main benefits … students have” is missing a linking structure, and “longer or shorter holiday both are” has problems with number and word order. The final sentences also run together and lack clear punctuation. Practise building complete sentences with accurate subject–verb agreement, articles and plural forms, then proofread each sentence for boundaries.

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.