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)

In my opinion in many countries including pakistan primary and secondary schools remains closed as summer holidays for two months because of hot summer days in asia it is about more then 45 degrees celcius and heat waves so children of primary and secondary schools can not attempt classes in this much hot weather it is only one time of this much longer holidays of whole year instead of students does not get any holidays or vacations but they get their summer vacations work or home work their studies do no disturbs at that time becaause they cover their syllabus or essential topics already or before vacations. Students goes to school whole year and this is the only time when they go to vacations holidays or any trips with their families as their whole year spent in studying and going to school. if we talk about the shorter holidays in school it is a point because when weather becomes normal they should not waste their times both schools and students instead of they should minimize or short the holidays period and allow holidays in winter also when there is fog and now a days like smog when air quality AQI is 200+ every other children and old age peoples getting flu, cough and fever they have to rest at their homes at that time and avoid to go outside without any emergency. it will be the great idea or conduct if goverment or education ministry takes this decision our youth can be more educated and safe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions and give relevant reasons for long summer breaks, including extreme heat, time with family, and the chance to rest after a year of study. You also present a case for shorter holidays when the weather is suitable, and suggest that breaks could instead be scheduled during winter smog. However, the discussion is uneven: the value of long holidays is explained more fully, while the benefits of shorter breaks are mainly asserted through the idea that schools and students should not “waste their times.” The position is present but not clearly framed or developed. Explain how shorter breaks could support learning—for example, by reducing the loss of knowledge over a long summer—and clarify how the proposed winter break would work.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response follows a broadly relevant order: it first explains why long summer holidays are useful, then turns to arguments for shorter holidays. This gives the reader a basic sense of the two sides. However, the ideas are packed into one continuous paragraph, and several sentences run together, so the progression is difficult to follow. Connectors such as “because,” “instead of,” and “if we talk about” are repeated or used in ways that do not clearly show the relationship between ideas. Separate the two main arguments into paragraphs, use clear topic sentences, and make each supporting point a distinct sentence. This would create a more visible overall progression and make the links between reasons and examples easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “heat waves,” “syllabus,” “air quality,” and “education ministry,” which helps communicate the subject. There is also an attempt to express specific conditions, such as temperatures above 45 degrees and an AQI of 200+. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, sometimes making the meaning less clear. For example, “attempt classes” and “waste their times” do not express the intended ideas naturally, while “holidays,” “students,” and “school” recur frequently. Build a more precise range for discussing education and scheduling, and check spelling and word forms such as “government,” “disturbs,” and “children.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to combine reasons and examples in longer sentences, and the response includes some simple and complex structures. However, many sentences are difficult to process because clauses are joined without clear punctuation, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction occur frequently. For instance, “schools remains closed” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “Students goes to school” uses the wrong verb form. The opening also combines several ideas without a clear sentence boundary. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then add subordinate clauses with accurate punctuation. Check that verbs agree with their subjects and that each sentence has a clear main clause.

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