Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-29

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)

In several countries, primary and secondary schools are off for two months or more in summer holidays. It is very crucial because school holidays gives children chance to enjoy, they can learn new skills and also during this period children are also given their school work so they can learn their school task more efficiently. While, some argue taht short school holidays are good because the think that longer holidays can spoil children, But i am in favour of long holidays.

Long school holidays are very importand for school children because in these holidays children play and enjoy without the stress of school. Moreover, they have plenty of time to do activities they love as they were not able to do so in their schools. In addition to that, children can also learn new skills in their free time like writing, some sports or any language. Parents play an important role in children's overall activities and their learnings. For example, in our school holidays we play all the day and learn new languages, plays and skills.

Schools in several countries give holiday homeworks to the children, so children can perform their tasks more efficiently and focous on it. However, one downside of long school holidays is that if children don't also learn during holidays and spend the time playing and having fun then this could affect their overall study and the concentration. as one of our friend who hadn't completed his holiday tasks was scolded by the teacher.

To conclude, long holidays had a very significant impact o childrens life and i think that it is mandatory to have long school holidays espacially in primary and secondary schools. However, academic tasks must be given so that their focous remain contant.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both questions and gives a clear preference for long holidays, especially in the opening and conclusion. It identifies benefits such as relaxation, pursuing interests and learning skills, and briefly recognises a case for shorter holidays by noting that extended breaks may disrupt study and concentration. However, the arguments in favour of shorter holidays are not developed as a distinct case: the essay does not explain, for example, how shorter breaks might support continuity in learning. Some support is also unclear or limited, such as the example about playing all day and learning languages. Develop each side with a specific explanation and relevant example, and make the comparison between the two positions more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, paragraphs about the benefits and drawbacks of long holidays, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “In addition to that,” and “However” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is sometimes unclear because several points are crowded into the first paragraph, and the paragraph about homework shifts from a benefit of long holidays to a drawback without a clear distinction. Some connections are also awkward or repetitive, including “Moreover” followed by “In addition to that.” Organise each paragraph around one main point, use clearer topic sentences, and ensure that pronouns such as “it” and “they” have unmistakable references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The essay uses a basic range of relevant vocabulary, including “stress,” “activities,” “skills,” “concentration” and “overall impact,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. However, vocabulary is repetitive, particularly “children,” “holidays,” “learn” and “school,” and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward. Examples include “holiday homeworks,” “their learnings,” “school task” and “play all the day.” Spelling errors such as “importand,” “focous,” “taht” and “espacially” also reduce accuracy. Build a wider set of natural expressions for discussing education and breaks, and check spelling and collocations carefully; this would make the argument clearer and more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts both simple and longer sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “because,” “if” and “so that.” This allows the writer to express reasons and consequences, but control is uneven, and errors sometimes make sentences difficult to follow. For example, “school holidays gives children chance” has subject–verb agreement and article problems, while “if children don't also learn during holidays … then this could affect” is not smoothly integrated with the following example. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “But i am” and the lower-case sentence beginning “as one of our friend.” Practise accurate agreement, articles and sentence boundaries, then proofread longer sentences to ensure each clause is complete and clearly connected.

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