Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-24

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)

Nowadays, the summer holidays in primary and secondary schools are for about a minimum of two months. But what is the most effective method for dealing with these such long holidays. Some people believe that long school holidays hold much value while some are against it. In this essay I will discuss both sides of the argument and draw a conclusion.

On the one hand, summers bring a lot of joy and excitement in the young students. They are just happy at the thought of holiday and I am with them in this matter. For example, these young lads are just expected to act like a machine just getting enough sleeping then going to school, academies and then coming home tired and getting less to no play time. They can't do the things they want to do and follow their hobbies. If there are summer holidays the children can become more happy and enjoy their holidays to their fullest.

On the other hand, there is a common belief that holidays for two months or more are just too much and childern should not be given much holidays because this may deviate their focus from their studies. If the holidays are shorter they can enjoy a bit and just go back to their normal routine.

In conclusion, although it is common thought that holidays for two or more months in summer will lead the children in bad direction. Though, I believe that they must be given this opportunity to enjoy their childhood because as they become adults they will have many responsibilities. Personally, I think there is much value of the long school holidays.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions and make your view clear: long holidays give children time to enjoy themselves and pursue hobbies, while shorter breaks may help them return to their studies and routine. The conclusion reinforces your preference for longer holidays. However, the discussion is uneven and the reasons remain general. The value of a break is illustrated through tired pupils and limited play time, but the benefits could be explained more fully, such as rest, family time or opportunities to develop interests. The case for shorter holidays is especially brief: the claim that children may lose focus is not supported with an example or explanation. Develop both sides more evenly and clarify how shorter breaks could preserve learning while still allowing rest.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs signposted by “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a conclusion. This makes the main direction easy to follow. Some connections, however, are mechanical or unclear. The opening asks “what is the most effective method” without clearly linking that question to the two prompts, and the final paragraph begins “although” and then “Though,” creating an awkward relationship between the ideas. Within the first body paragraph, the long example moves through school, academies, tiredness and play time in a crowded sentence. Use clearer sentence boundaries and more precise links between each reason and its explanation to make progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “summer holidays,” “hobbies,” “studies” and “responsibilities.” There are also attempts at more expressive language, such as “act like a machine” and “draw a conclusion.” However, the range is limited and several choices are informal, repetitive or unnatural for an academic essay. “Young lads” is too casual, “deviate their focus” is an awkward collocation, and “there is much value of” is not idiomatic. There is also a spelling error in “childern.” Aim for precise, neutral phrasing and vary repeated references to holidays and children. More accurate collocations would make your ideas sound clearer and more academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses such as “although it is common thought…” and conditional phrasing with “If the holidays are shorter…”. The overall meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions remain. For example, “what is the most effective method for dealing with these such long holidays” has an incorrect determiner pattern, while “although … Though” in the conclusion creates an incomplete or poorly connected structure. In “If there are summer holidays the children can become more happy,” the conditional clause needs clearer punctuation, and the comparative form should be handled accurately. Practise building complex sentences with one clear main clause, and check articles, clause links and punctuation before submitting.

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

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