Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-03

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)

Arguments---donot pay attention to studies during long holidays,it will effect on their grades, governments should allow only one month holidays so they remained fresh and also focused on their studies. Education plays a vital role in shaping individuals and developing a prosperous society. It is believed that most of the countries give summer holidays for two months in primary and secondary schools, however, others argue that it should be less than that. Long school holidays has many advantages such as children can take part in extracurricular activities, spend more time with family and friends and also explore new places with family. While it also has numerous drawbacks, students do not pay attention to their studies. The primary reason for long summer vacations is that learners feel sense of relaxation during this period and also involve in other activities. This is because during school they do not get enough time at home to focus on other things like playing games and exlpore outdoor activities with friends.So, both primary and secondary schools should give enough time to students to explore things other than studies. Another significant factor is that during holidays, children spend more time with their family and friends and also go for trips and experience new culture of that places. As a result, when they went back to their schools after two month vacations, they would feel more relaxation and remained focused on their studies. Therefor, long summer vacations should be allowed in schools. In contrast, other believe that these holidays should be less than two months. One of the reasons for is this that during long holidays children do not pay full attention to their studies and they want to visit new places with their parents. Consequently, they get low grades in their examination and at the end they remain at low level in class.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: the essay explains benefits such as time for extracurricular activities, family, travel and new experiences, and gives a case for shorter holidays by linking long breaks with reduced study and lower grades. However, the discussion is uneven. The benefits receive several explanations, while the argument for shorter holidays is largely limited to one consequence and is not developed with an example or a fuller explanation. Your position also shifts: the opening recommends one month, but the benefits paragraph concludes that long holidays should be allowed, without clarifying which arrangement you ultimately support. Develop both sides more evenly and state a consistent position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on the value of long holidays and a contrasting paragraph on shorter breaks. Linking expressions such as “The primary reason,” “As a result” and “In contrast” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is not consistently clear: the opening begins with an abrupt fragment, and the final paragraph ends without a concluding statement. Some links are mechanical or do not clearly express the intended relationship, while ideas about travel and relaxation recur. Use complete topic sentences, connect each explanation directly to its claim, and add a brief conclusion that resolves the position introduced at the start.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for the topic, including “extracurricular activities,” “prosperous society,” “examination” and “focused on their studies.” These choices allow you to discuss both educational and personal benefits. However, the range is not always controlled naturally, and some word choices or collocations are awkward, such as “feel sense of relaxation,” “explore new culture of that places” and “remain at low level in class.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “exlpore” and “Therefor.” Aim for more precise, natural combinations and check spelling carefully. For example, “experience different cultures” and “fall behind their classmates” would express your ideas more idiomatically.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “while” and “when,” so the response shows some structural variety. However, errors recur in sentence formation, agreement and verb forms, and they sometimes make relationships harder to follow. For instance, “Long school holidays has” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “when they went back … they would feel” shifts awkwardly between past and conditional forms. The opening, “Arguments---donot pay attention to studies,” is also not a complete, clearly formed sentence. Practise building complete sentences and checking agreement and tense consistency; careful punctuation and sentence boundaries will make your meaning easier to follow.

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