Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-27

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)

I am strongly disagree with this opinion shorter school hoildays,because it help to students to grow and know their ability or what field they want to study moreover,it help to children do extra curriculum activity in hoildays know their interest.

Begin with,primary and secondary schools should give long school holidays beacuse it's help to know their ability and their interest and what field they want choose moreover, it help to children so ectra curriculum activity in hoildays and stay fit however, if schools and give long holidays they students can learn new things for example learning music,learning new skill that can help in future.In addition giving long summer holidays help many children explore new things and new skills moreover,this holidays give many students relax and mentally stay fit so they can focus on upcoming class. for instance,if schools not give proper holidays or giving shoter schools holidays this can lead to increase mental fatigue so they can not focus on upcoming class.

On other hand,longer holidays can lead to many disadvantages the many students are not focus on study or not utilising proper time what schools giving them moreover many children waste their all time in mobile phone or watching movies not working on their skills or learning new skills.In addition many students are not preparing notes for upcoming class.

In conclusion, the primary and secondary schools should give summer holidys but not for too long holidys and schools should give some homework or any type of work to students ,so they can also enjoy and study.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you explain benefits of longer breaks, including time to explore interests, learn skills and recover mentally, and you present arguments for shorter breaks, such as students wasting time on phones or not preparing for class. Your conclusion also gives a qualified position, favouring holidays that are not too long. However, the opening says you disagree with shorter holidays, while the conclusion suggests a compromise, so your position is not fully consistent. Several points are repeated rather than developed, and the case for shorter holidays is less fully explained than the benefits of long breaks. Develop each argument with a clear explanation or a specific example, and state your position consistently.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. This helps the reader identify the main topics. However, progression within paragraphs is often unclear: the first body paragraph repeats the ideas of exploring interests and learning skills, while the paragraph on shorter holidays gives several claims without showing how they connect. Linking phrases such as “moreover” and “in addition” are used repeatedly, sometimes where a clearer relationship between ideas is needed. Some sentences are difficult to follow because several points are joined together. Organise each paragraph around one main claim, then explain it and give an example; use a wider range of accurate links and clearer references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use a basic range of topic-related vocabulary, including “mental fatigue,” “skills,” “focus,” and “upcoming class,” which allows you to communicate the main ideas. However, vocabulary is repetitive, particularly “holidays,” “students,” “help,” and “new skills,” and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, such as “do extra curriculum activity,” “stay fit” for mental wellbeing, and “not utilising proper time.” Spelling errors, including “hoildays,” “beacuse,” and “shoter,” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise range for discussing education and rest, and check spelling and common word combinations. This would make your arguments clearer and less repetitive.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “if,” and “so,” but complex sentences are often difficult to control. Errors in verb forms and agreement appear throughout, for example “I am strongly disagree” and “it help to students”; these should be “I strongly disagree” and “it helps students.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also inconsistent, with long strings of ideas joined by commas, as in the opening body paragraph. Articles and sentence patterns are sometimes missing or incomplete. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then combine related ideas using accurate subordinate clauses. Check subject–verb agreement and verb forms during revision.

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