Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-21

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)

Yes, there is a long holidays break in many countries scondary and primary schools for about two or more in the summer. Also, it has some benifits and also some disadvantages. The holy summer break generally start from the month of May and ends in August or some times extened to september depending on the weather of the specific area.

The Holidays of summer are log but it has some value in most of the countries, especially in Pakistan , the weather is so hot and the childrens are getting unwell due to extreme heat, so for the health issues the Holidays are mainly longer in comparsion to ther countries schools and colleges.

Also the students get very long time to re-revise their subjects and they have assignments of writing their whole subjet content for two to three times especially for those who are interesting in studies.

But on the other hand it has some disadvantages and many people argue that it is good to have a shorter Holidays rather than longer Holidays. There is many arguments that i also agreed with that and it was about the loosing of interest in studies of most of the students. longer holidays may disturbed their routines because they have no idea of how to manage time. Mostly the boys were buisy in games and playing all the days outside. Thier parents have fear of their future.

when i was child, i memorize my all subjects and have interest in studies during my Holidays breaks of summer but one of my friends who is more interested in studies but when we got break of holidays in summer for about 3 months then day by day he lack interest in studies. so, thats my answer that the longer Holidays may be useful for some but may be harmful for someone.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you explain that summer breaks can protect children from Pakistan’s extreme heat and give students time to review, then present the case for shorter holidays by noting that pupils may lose interest and routine. The personal example about your friend helps illustrate this concern. However, the discussion remains limited and some points are unclear or insufficiently supported. For example, the claim that students can “re-revise” their subjects is not explained, and the argument about parents fearing for their sons’ futures is left undeveloped. Your final view—that long breaks may help some students but harm others—is present, but it could be stated more clearly and supported with a fuller comparison of the two positions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on the value of long holidays, a contrasting paragraph, and a personal example leading to a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “But on the other hand” and “so” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, and connections between claims are not always clear. The opening includes several points about the timing of holidays without showing how they support the answer. The personal anecdote is also placed within the final discussion rather than being clearly connected to a developed conclusion. Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s main argument, then explain and illustrate that argument in a logical sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “extreme heat,” “loosing of interest,” “manage time,” and “routines,” so the reader can generally understand the main ideas. However, the range is limited and several word choices, forms, and spellings are noticeably inaccurate, sometimes making the message less clear. Examples include “scondary,” “benifits,” “the childrens,” and “interesting in studies”; these reduce precision and naturalness. Repetition of “long holidays,” “students,” and “studies” also limits flexibility. Build a wider set of accurate phrases for discussing education and wellbeing, and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise collocations would help you express the same relevant ideas more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a contrast introduced by “But on the other hand” and a conditional idea in “longer holidays may disturbed their routines.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “The holy summer break generally start” needs subject–verb agreement and a correct verb form, while “There is many arguments” has an agreement error. The sentence beginning “when i was child” also contains several grammatical problems that make it harder to follow. Practise building accurate sentences with one main clause and a supporting clause, then check tense, singular/plural agreement, and articles before adding more complex structures.

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