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)

A significant number of countries prefer to close its educational institutes for two months or more in the summer holidays. I think it is a very beneficial step for the well-being of students, however, there are some drawbacks.

Firstly, giving long vacation to students can be very beneficial in terms of overall well-being, whether it is physically or mentally. Studying whole year especially in hotter months could have negative effects on students. The warm weather may result in heat stroke, as there are already many cases in which students fall unconscious mostly during assemblies. In addition, warm weather may cause dizziness, lost of focus due to severe heat which may affect the education of students.

Secondly, there are some arguments and solutions proposed, that could help to solve these problems, however, they do not outweigh the advantages of giving longer vacation to students. The most beneficial step would be the initialization of air conditioning in classrooms, which could allow the students to focus properly on their lectures. Moreover, educational institutes should limit the events that requires going outside in summers. In addition, shorter holidays would allow students to not forget about the important study concepts, that could be helpful in solving difficult tasks, because fully understanding them demands consistency, which longer summer vacation may not offer, as students spend much of their holidays resting.

In conclusion, there are some benefits of shorter school holidays

but they do not outweigh the drawbacks of it. Multiple solutions can be addressed but over all well-being of students is also crucial for them to chase their dreams and build their career.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions by explaining the value of longer holidays—especially students’ physical and mental well-being in hot weather—and presenting reasons for shorter breaks, such as retaining study concepts and maintaining consistency. Your conclusion also makes your preference for longer holidays clear. However, the discussion of shorter holidays is less fully developed: the point about forgetting concepts is brief, and the proposed air conditioning and limits on outdoor events are solutions to heat rather than arguments for shorter holidays. Develop each side with a clear reason and a specific example, and make the distinction between the two questions more explicit. This would make the response more complete and its position better supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main stages. However, the progression within the second body paragraph is not fully clear: it moves from proposed heat-related solutions to the case for shorter holidays, so the relationship between these ideas needs clearer signposting or separate paragraphs. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “In addition.” The conclusion begins on a new line but would be clearer as a distinct paragraph. Group related points together and use transitions that show whether you are adding a reason, giving a contrast, or presenting a counterargument.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “overall well-being,” “heat stroke,” “focus,” “consistency,” and “educational institutes.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, and you attempt some less common expressions. However, several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “lost of focus,” “initialization of air conditioning,” and “chase their dreams and build their career.” “Warm weather” is also repeated where more precise wording about extreme heat would help. Aim for natural collocations and accurate word forms—for example, “loss of concentration,” “installation of air conditioning,” and “pursue their ambitions.” This would make your vocabulary more precise without requiring unnecessarily complex words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “whether,” “which,” and “because,” and your meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In the opening, “countries … its educational institutes” has a pronoun-agreement problem; “events that requires” has subject–verb disagreement; and “students to not forget” uses an awkward infinitive construction. There are also punctuation issues, such as the comma before “but” in the introduction and the comma separating “proposed” from “that could help.” Review agreement, clause punctuation, and sentence construction, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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