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)

After studying for a whole year, educational istitutions give their students long summer holidays for two months or more, in order for them to relax and enjoy a good summer.

Long school holidays can have many advantages for both students and teachers, as it allows the students to relax and have more playtime with their friends, it also helps them free their minds from school stress and enxiety of the homework and exams and many other concerning things that causes students a feeling of uneasiness. In addition to that, even teachers and the educational system employees can benifit from long holidays since it is considered as a rest from their daily work routine which can be chllenging sometimes. Furthermore it is a great opportunity to go on vacations and enjoy some good time away from the noise of the class and the stress of having to get work done.

Meanwhile, long school holidays may sound as a good deal, but, some people prefer shorter ones for many reasons. Mainly because they believe that breaks are supposed to be only for resetting for a small period of time and coming back stronger which doesn't need é months to be done. Also in order to keep a student's brain healthy it has to be working on a daily basis so staying home for a long time is not a good idea, the student has to be working his mind in order to not forget lessons and important ideas learned at school. Because long school breaks makes one forget many important concepts and rewires the brain to only comfort and relaxation which is not good.

To conclude, I think that school holidays are essential for THE student life, and it is not nesseciary for them to be so long nor so short, a balance between both would be perfect so the student does not get very bored with school but also does not get used to a lazy comfortable routine.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: the first body paragraph explains how holidays offer rest and time for recreation, while the second presents the case for shorter breaks, especially maintaining learning and avoiding forgotten material. Your conclusion also gives a clear preference for balance. However, several points remain general rather than fully explained. For example, the benefits to teachers are mentioned but not illustrated, and the claim that long breaks “rewires the brain” is asserted without support. The discussion of shorter holidays would be stronger if you explained how a shorter calendar could preserve rest while reducing learning loss. Develop each main argument with a specific example or consequence so the response addresses the task more fully and convincingly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a concluding opinion. Linking expressions such as “In addition to that,” “Meanwhile,” and “To conclude” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, some sentences contain several ideas joined together, making the progression less smooth; the long sentence beginning “Long school holidays can have many advantages” is one example. The second body paragraph also moves from the purpose of breaks to brain health and then forgetting lessons without clearly showing how these points connect. Use shorter, more focused sentences and make the relationship between each claim and its explanation explicit. This would make cohesion less mechanical and references easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “school stress,” “daily work routine,” “resetting,” and “important concepts.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and there is some attempt to use less common expressions. However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural combinations are noticeable, including “istitutions,” “enxiety,” “benifit,” and “chllenging.” Phrases such as “a good deal” and “rewires the brain to only comfort and relaxation” are either informal or unclear in this context. Aim for accurate spelling and more precise academic collocations, such as describing holidays as “a period of recovery” or saying that students may “lose familiarity with previously learned material.” This will make your arguments clearer and more appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “since,” “which,” and “in order to,” and your main meaning is generally understandable. However, some longer constructions are not controlled successfully. In “Long school holidays can have many advantages … as it allows …, it also helps,” two independent clauses are joined incorrectly, and the subject shifts from plural “holidays” to singular “it.” There are also agreement and sentence-boundary problems in “long school breaks makes one forget” and “the student has to be working his mind.” The conclusion’s “it is not necessary for them to be so long nor so short” also has an unclear pronoun reference. Break complex ideas into complete sentences and check subject–verb agreement and pronoun references.

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