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)

In today's era, Holidays in primary and secondary schools has been increased now upto 2 months which is quite a longer period.

Firstly, I would say that holidays are something that brings happiness to every age person going somewhere regularly. Specially summer holidays is a period of time when most of the people have lots of plans they make the whole year to fulfil in summers. They go to trips,parks and northern areas with family and friends. If I talk about myself, I went to Naran Kaghan with my family in last summer vacatons. It is a beautiful cold northern side area and is much popular in Pakistan. It is always crowded in june and july because people go with their families.

Secondly, If i talk about shorter chool holidays; it is good in itself. Because childern most probably after attening longer summer holidays loose their interest in studying. Because they spend a while being at home and not going to school regularly which can cause being careless towards studies. They forget concepts and lessons and come with blank mind. So shorter holidays are more advantageous for students. They have a little time so they fulfil their plans and come to school again.

In the conclusion, I would say that longer holidays are more for fun but can quite be impactful on studies while shorter holidays may seem too short but are very beneficial for one's education. So i would also say it depends on person to person. If someone takes his studies along with enjoying longer holidays, he sets himself in a good position.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions and give a clear overall contrast: long holidays allow family trips and recreation, while shorter breaks may help children retain interest in study. The personal example of visiting Naran Kaghan makes the value of holidays concrete. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The benefits of a long break are mainly described as travel and enjoyment, with little explanation of other possible value, such as rest or time for activities outside school. The case for shorter holidays is more relevant to learning, but claims such as students returning with a “blank mind” need explanation or support. Your final point that the choice depends on the person also makes your position less definite. Develop each argument with a reasoned example and state your view more consistently.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an opening, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “In the conclusion” help readers identify the stages of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive: the second paragraph moves from plans to trips and then to a personal trip without clearly explaining how these examples establish the value of a long holiday. Several sentences begin with “Because,” creating a mechanical rhythm, and the final paragraph introduces a qualification that is not fully connected to the earlier argument. Use clearer links between claim, explanation, and example, and vary transitions so that the organisation feels more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “summer holidays,” “interest in studying,” “concepts and lessons,” and “beneficial for one’s education.” These phrases make the main ideas understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, such as “every age person,” “fulfil in summers,” and “sets himself in a good position.” Spelling errors, including “vacatons,” “childern,” and “attening,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise expressions and check spelling carefully. For example, describe holidays as giving students “time to rest and pursue personal interests,” and say that a long break may “disrupt study routines” rather than simply making students careless.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the main message is generally understandable. However, grammatical errors occur frequently, and attempts to connect clauses are often faulty. For example, “Holidays in primary and secondary schools has been increased” has problems with subject–verb agreement and verb form, while “Because children … lose their interest” is an incomplete sentence when used as a standalone clause. There are also errors in articles, plurals, and tense, as in “in last summer” and “summer holidays is.” Punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, particularly after sentence openings and around clauses. Practise building complete sentences with accurate agreement and use a wider range of correctly controlled complex structures.

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