Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-25

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)

Summer holidays are substantial for the learners to take a break for about ten months of hardship in studying. In recent years, there are many countries that close both primary and secondary schools for two months or more in the summer holidays. In my opinion, it is crucial to have long school holidays for the reason that students can pause for a while with school requirements and take good break.

School requires the learners to push to their limits and put forth effort to all the academic requirements. Most of the students suffer from mental health and depression if they are not able to meet the demands of the school. For instance, a high school student who has a lot of requirements to submit and tests to take can cause a mental breakdown. Due to the high demands of the school, students are forced to accomplish all the necessary performance tasks within the given time period, while ensuring that they passed all the graded exams. As a result, most of the students have difficulties managing their time and experiencing too much pressure to attain passing grades.

While some schools preferred long school holidays, some schools are in favor of shorter school holidays. School admins believe that shorter breaks will make students more focused on their acedemic skills. For example, if learners will only have at least one month break, it is easier for them to cope with the new lessons as students are still bound to schools. They will never forget the lessons being discussed as some topics are spiral through all the grade levels. Consequently, learners are growing tired from the school and sometimes all they feel is hatred.

In conclusion, I believe that the value of having long school holidays is important as the learners can rest and unwind from the stress they get from school. It is also the time where they can have fun and be with their families to feel at ease.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear view that long holidays are valuable because students need rest, and you explain this with points about academic pressure, mental health, and time with family. You also address the case for shorter holidays, noting that students may stay focused and retain lessons. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the benefits of long breaks receive more explanation, while the shorter-holiday argument is brief and its claim that students “will never forget” lessons is not supported. The conclusion repeats your preference rather than weighing the arguments. To strengthen the response, explain more specifically how shorter breaks could support learning, and qualify broad claims with relevant examples. The response meets the stated length requirement; nine words copied from the task prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two positions, and a conclusion. This makes the overall line of thought easy to follow, and transitions such as “For instance,” “As a result,” and “In conclusion” help signal examples and outcomes. However, some links are mechanical or unclear. In the shorter-holidays paragraph, “Consequently” introduces students becoming tired and feeling hatred, which does not clearly follow from the preceding claim about retaining lessons. The paragraph also shifts from the advantages of shorter breaks to their possible drawback without clearly signalling that contrast. Use more precise linking and make each paragraph’s progression explicit, especially when moving from an argument to its consequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for the topic, including “academic requirements,” “mental health,” “demands,” and “pressure,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “mental breakdown” and “spiral through all the grade levels.” However, several word choices and collocations are noticeably inaccurate or awkward, including “take good break,” “push to their limits,” “bound to schools,” and “all they feel is hatred.” The spelling “acedemic” is also an error. These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less precise, even when the general point can be inferred. Aim for natural combinations such as “take a proper break,” “remain connected to school,” and “topics recur across grade levels,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including conditional and cause-and-effect structures, and most ideas remain understandable. Some sentence patterns are controlled, such as “Due to the high demands of the school, students are forced to accomplish…” However, errors recur in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “In recent years, there are many countries” would be more accurately expressed with a present-perfect construction; “if learners will only have” uses an unsuitable verb form after “if”; and “a high school student … can cause a mental breakdown” makes the student the cause rather than the person experiencing it. Review conditional forms and check that subjects, verbs, and intended meanings align. Greater accuracy in these patterns would make your complex sentences clearer.

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