Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-04

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 5.0)

It is always argued that, primary and secondary schools closes for two months or more while some schools closes for shorter time like 1 month only which is better there are some advantages and some disadvantages of it.

Firstly, if we talk about values of long term school summer holidays childrens get frustrated and stressed beacuse of busy days and hustle-bustle of schools so to stay stressfree and remove stress schools provides us holidays but if they gave us long term holidays we know that some students should not study and they forget the rest they learned so this a main disadvantage of it but there it also provides more days to complete there work it is a advantage of it.

On the other hand, the short term holidays provides students little time to complete there work and the students spend there all time in completing there work and they did not get time to enjoy but the students do not forget the things that they learned earlier and they maintain the habit of studying.

In my opinion, both types of holidays are better but it also depends on the students mindset if the student was dedicated to studies he should maintain his habit of studing no matter it is long time or short time holiday.

In conclusion, it is a point of argue that schools gave long term or short term holidays in long holidays students had more time to complete their work and they can also enjoy but in short holidays they have less time to complete there work and also for enjoying but it also depends on the ability of the students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both questions by discussing reasons for longer breaks and arguments for shorter ones, and your final paragraph gives a personal view. However, the response only partially develops the task: the value of long holidays is mainly linked to reducing stress and allowing time for work, while the case for shorter holidays focuses on retaining study habits. These are relevant points, but they need clearer explanation and specific examples. The position is also not fully consistent: you say both types are better, then make the outcome depend on a student’s dedication, without explaining which arrangement is preferable overall. Develop each argument with a concrete example and state your position more directly throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two holiday arrangements, an opinion, and a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “Firstly,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several contrasting points are joined in long sentences, particularly in the first body paragraph. The conclusion also repeats ideas about time for work and enjoyment rather than drawing the discussion together. Some references, such as “it” and “there,” are unclear, and the repeated use of “but” makes connections feel mechanical. Use shorter, clearly focused sentences and make each paragraph develop one main point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “summer holidays,” “stressed,” “complete their work,” and “habit of studying.” There are also attempts at more expressive language, such as “hustle-bustle,” but this is informal and does not fit the academic tone particularly well. The range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, including “values of long term school summer holidays,” “stressfree,” and “point of argue.” Repetition of “holidays,” “students,” and “work” also limits precision. Aim for more natural academic collocations and vary repeated terms—for example, use “benefits of extended summer breaks” and “maintain a regular study routine.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional ideas such as “if the student was dedicated to studies” and contrastive clauses with “but.” However, complex sentences are often difficult to control, and frequent errors affect clarity. For example, “schools closes” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “if they gave us long term holidays we know” shifts tense inconsistently. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also weak: the opening sentence joins several ideas without clear separation, and the first body paragraph contains a long, overloaded sentence. Practise accurate agreement, consistent tense, and clear clause boundaries. Breaking complex ideas into two sentences will make your meaning easier to follow.

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