Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-31

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 many countries, many acadamic institutions observe an extended summer break of two months or more. Although it result in the significant psychological and development benefits for the young generation but also have some consiquences.

First, long holidays make the path for the young generations to come out from the hectic routine of their school. Mostly they do not have enough time for their extra activities. These hectic condition many cause severe effectsn including the depression and anxiety. When they have quite long holidays, they came out from their hectic routine and participate in extra curricular activies that boost their stamina and pleasure. Moreover, they can go to the long holidays with family to explore new places and familiar with other culture and practices. These things help them to come out the study loop and focus on themselves. In this case long holidays are good good for them.

Besides this long holidays also cause some problems. Many parents give quite large amount of money to the schools for their growth. These parents are usually job holders that cannot give enough time to their children for growth. So the long holidays make harder for them to manage their professional life and take care of their childrens. Moreover, after the long holidays children have difficulty tu concentrate on the studies. Children also forget some subjects like Mathematics because it needs continuous practice to remeber. Therefore, too some extent long holidays are not good for the young generation. The argument related to the shorter holidays after a quite period of time is good for both children and their parents. Becuse they can get enough time fot their activities without any difficulty to their family.

In conclusion, long holidays have pros and cons but the argument of shorter holidays after a small period is good. Their adantages are greates than its cons.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions and maintain a relevant overall position: long breaks can support students’ wellbeing and family experiences, while shorter breaks may help parents and learning continuity. The examples about extracurricular activities, travel, and forgetting mathematics are pertinent. However, the value of long holidays is explained more fully than the case for shorter holidays. The shorter-holiday argument is mainly that parents struggle to manage work and childcare and that students may forget subjects; the final claim that shorter breaks suit both groups is not clearly developed. To strengthen the response, explain how a shorter break could preserve rest while reducing learning loss, and support the family-care point with a specific example. Your conclusion should also state the balance of benefits more clearly rather than introducing an unclear comparison of advantages and disadvantages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on the benefits of long holidays, a paragraph on their drawbacks and shorter breaks, and a conclusion. Sequencing within the main paragraphs is generally understandable, and signposts such as “First,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Besides this long holidays also cause some problems” shifts to drawbacks, but the paragraph then moves between parents’ work, children’s concentration, and the shorter-holiday argument without a clear distinction. The conclusion’s “Their advantages” also has an unclear reference. Use separate, focused paragraphs for each side and make pronouns and transitions explicitly identify which holiday arrangement you mean.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for the topic, including “hectic routine,” “depression and anxiety,” “extra curricular activities,” and “continuous practice.” These choices help communicate ideas about wellbeing, family life, and learning. There are also attempts at less common expressions, but several are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “make the path for,” “study loop,” and “give…money to the schools for their growth.” Spelling errors—including “acadamic,” “consiquences,” and “remeber”—are noticeable, and repeated wording such as “long holidays” limits flexibility. Aim for precise collocations and check spelling carefully; for instance, describe breaks as giving students time to “step away from academic routines,” and refer to parents’ “work and childcare responsibilities.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in the opening and clauses introduced by “because” and “that.” The main ideas are usually understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity and control. In the opening, “Although it result… but also have” combines structures incorrectly and lacks a clear subject–verb pattern. Other examples include “These hectic condition… may cause,” “they came out,” and “children have difficulty tu concentrate,” where agreement, tense, or infinitive forms need attention. There are also problems with articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries. Practise building accurate sentences with one clear main clause, then add subordinate clauses; check subject–verb agreement and keep verb forms consistent when describing general effects.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.