Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-28

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)

Many countries prefer giving long summer holidays to primary and secondary students.

In my view, long summer holidays are valid and valuable. But on the other side, many people think that the holidays should be short and limited.

In most of the primary and secondary schools children are in between the age of 6 to 15. The main motive of the long summer holidays that lasts for one or two months is to give time to children for exploring and learning about new skills. If we talk about the primary schools , the students studying there are small and need break between things. Summer holidays helps them ij developing their interest in different things. In these days , the concept of 'Summer camps' is getting popular within parents and students. Summer camp is a very effective way to maintain the consistency of students even in the holidays. The camps engage children into fun-learning activities in which they can learn without getting bored.

Subsequently, many parents have opposed the long summer vacations. Because of the rise in screen-time of children and the lack of concentration. The extensive use of digital gadgets have decreased their ability to think beyond their ordinary thinking. Besides this , they loose their communication skills and self confidence.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that long Summer Holidays are good for students health and character development, But they should focus on their studies and less use of gadgets on the same time. Only this approach would be practiced and supporting.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall view that long holidays have value, and you explain one relevant benefit: children can explore interests and take part in summer camps. You also identify concerns that support shorter breaks, particularly increased screen use and reduced concentration. However, the two sides are not developed evenly. The case for shorter holidays is mainly a list of possible harms, without explaining how a shorter school break would address them or giving a concrete example. The value of long holidays could also be explained more fully, such as how rest benefits learning or family life. Your conclusion repeats your preference but the recommendation about studying and gadget use is unclear. Develop and support both answers more directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two viewpoints, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weak: the paragraph about shorter holidays moves from screen time to concentration, then communication and confidence, without showing clearly how these points connect. Some linking expressions are mechanical or inaccurate, such as “But on the other side” and “Subsequently,” which does not clearly signal the contrast intended. The conclusion also introduces a recommendation without linking it clearly to the preceding discussion. Use simpler, more precise transitions and explain the relationship between each supporting point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “summer camps,” “screen-time,” “digital gadgets,” and “character development,” and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural, which makes parts of the argument less clear. For example, “the main motive” is not the most natural way to describe the purpose of holidays, while “maintain the consistency of students” does not clearly express what camps provide. “Ordinary thinking” is also vague in the context of children’s cognitive development. There are spelling and word-form slips, including “loose” where “lose” is intended. Aim for precise collocations and choose vocabulary that states the intended meaning directly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the relative clause in “the long summer holidays that lasts for one or two months” and the explanation beginning “Because of the rise…”. However, control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Examples include subject–verb agreement in “Summer holidays helps” and “The extensive use … have decreased,” as well as the incomplete sentence “Because of the rise in screen-time of children and the lack of concentration.” The final sentence, “Only this approach would be practiced and supporting,” is also structurally unclear. Review agreement, sentence completeness, and verb forms, and check punctuation and capitalisation so that complex ideas are expressed in complete, controlled sentences.

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