Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-30

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)

Every school gives holidays in summer in every country. Some schools are closed for two months but others are closed for more than two months.

Generally long school holidays give opportunity to students to learn new skills. They can take admission in course classes in this period and work practically. This will help them in future to choose and adopt a better carrer for themselves. Many students do not like to sit free in their homes, rather they utilise this time for their betterment. For example, students in secondary level participate in dance classes, music classes or in other computer based courses. As a consequent, they overcome their boredome and learn new skills which will become advantagous in their future.

On the other hand, childern at primary level want to have break from their schools. Parents of those childern also want to spend some memorable time with their toddlers. Additionally, it is a big source of a break, for the students of secondary level, from their hectic life routine. Many families plan trips and tours in summer hollidays and make memories with eachother.

There are some arguments in favour of shorter school hollidays also. When the routine of some students changes, it becomes very difficult to maintain that routine after a long time. Those childern are problematic for parents as well as teachers. Furthermore, some of the students forget their lessons very easily if they are not in-touch with studies on daily basis.

In conclusion, both types of holidays have many advantages as well as disadvantages. It depends on the student or a childern, how he/she utilise his/her time. Whether he makes this time productive or destructive, it is depended on the childern.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: the first main body paragraph explains how long holidays can allow students to develop skills, while the next describes rest and family time; the final body paragraph gives reasons for shorter breaks, including disrupted routines and forgotten lessons. These are relevant points, but some are only briefly explained. For instance, the claim that courses help students choose a career is not supported with a specific example, and the case for shorter holidays could explain how a more regular school schedule prevents learning loss. The conclusion says the outcome depends on how children use their time, but does not clearly weigh the value of long holidays against the arguments for shorter ones. Develop and compare the ideas more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the benefits of long holidays and shorter holidays, and a conclusion. The contrastive signposts “On the other hand” and “There are some arguments in favour” help readers follow the shift in focus. However, the opening repeats the task’s general point rather than establishing a clear direction, and the conclusion largely restates that holidays have advantages and disadvantages. Some links are mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “Additionally” and “Furthermore.” The reference in “Those children” is also not fully clear, since it could refer to children whose routines change or to students who forget lessons. Use more precise referencing and make the progression between each reason explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “practically,” “hectic life routine,” “maintain that routine,” and “memorable time.” There are also attempts to express less common ideas, such as “overcome their boredom” and “productive or destructive.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which limits precision: “take admission in course classes,” “a big source of a break,” and “in-touch with studies” do not sound natural in this context. Spelling errors such as “carrer,” “boredome,” and “hollidays” are noticeable. Aim for accurate, natural combinations and check spelling carefully; a smaller number of well-controlled expressions will make your points clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple sentences and some longer structures, including “When the routine of some students changes, it becomes very difficult to maintain that routine after a long time.” Most ideas remain understandable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms recur. For example, “Every school gives holidays in summer in every country” has an awkward structure, while “it is depended on the children” uses an incorrect verb form. The final sentence also shifts between “a student,” “he,” and “a children,” making the reference difficult to follow. There are attempts at subordinate clauses, but greater control is needed when combining ideas. Practise accurate agreement, articles, and verb forms, and revise sentences to keep pronouns consistent.

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