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)

Giving long holidays in primary and high schools are common matter in many countries, specially in the summer or in the winter schools are closed for almost two or three months. I firmly agree with that, because every student need refreshment for restarting themselves.

On the one hand, there are a lot of benefits of long school holiday. The most significant reason is mental refreshment, because after a long period of study pressure students feel exhausted or boaring. So they should take a long break to cheer up and making their brain refrersh, so that they can concentrate on their study appropriately. For instance, in six or seven months scholling students get lot of pressure such as assignments, presentations, homeworks, class tests, exams etc from their teachers, so that their brain can stuck for a while. As a consequent, they need a break from study, so that need long holidays, they can refresh their mind and soul. Moreover, it gives them more energy and strength in their minds as well as bodies.

In contrast, there have many people who consider that holidays should be shorter. Because a long holidays creat a long gap in study, and that can creat hazard on their study as well. For example, when a student get long holidays, he cannot do any study or relatable activities, for this reason they might forget their lesson. Afterwards, a long long time break creat problems to restart their homeworks, assignments, exams etc, they cannot focus on their study properly.

In conclusion, holidays can be long or short for students, but a long holidays can give more benefits than the shorter holidays.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the question and maintain a clear preference for long holidays, supported by relevant reasons. The benefits paragraph explains that students need a break from study pressure to recover and concentrate, while the opposing view identifies the risk of forgetting lessons and finding it difficult to resume schoolwork. These points are relevant, but they are not equally developed: the case for shorter holidays is brief and would benefit from a fuller explanation or a specific example. Your conclusion repeats your preference, though it could more directly weigh the value of rest against the risk of losing learning continuity. Develop both sides with more precise supporting detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on the benefits of long holidays, a contrasting paragraph on shorter holidays, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the one hand,” “In contrast,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main direction. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, particularly through repeated use of “so that” and “long holidays.” Some links are also unclear: “As a consequent” does not connect the preceding example smoothly to the point that follows, and the sentence beginning “Because a long holidays…” is a fragment. Improve progression by varying linking methods and making the relationship between each example and its main point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “mental refreshment,” “study pressure,” “assignments,” and “concentrate,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling, word-form, and collocation errors reduce precision. Examples include “boaring,” “refrersh,” “scholling,” and “creat”; “homeworks” is also not the natural form in this context. Phrases such as “hazard on their study” and “their brain can stuck” do not express the intended meaning naturally. Build a more accurate set of topic phrases and check spelling and collocations carefully; this will make your arguments clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because,” “when,” and “so that,” and the overall meaning can usually be followed. However, errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “every student need” should use a singular verb, while “there have many people” needs a different grammatical structure. The sentence beginning “Because a long holidays…” is incomplete, and “they can refresh their mind and soul” shifts between plural and singular reference. Some long sentences also combine several ideas without clear control. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and complete sentence patterns, then use complex clauses selectively and punctuate them clearly.

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