Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-05

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 6.0)

Primary and secondary schools are not open in the summer break for two or more months in a number of countries. Having long school holidays provide time to children for relaxation, while it may affect their academic calendar.

Summer break is very important for the pupils to relax. The main reason is that they do not find enough time during their formal learning classes. They do not have free time even on the weekends. So, having summer holidays are essential for them to recharge for the next class. For example, many schools in Pakistan provide summer holidays to the children to give them a chance spending quality time with their family. This demonstrates that they will relax and get enough energy for their next term.

In contrast, a long summer break can also disturbs the academic calendar of the students. A long break shortens their schedule while a short break gives enough time to both instructors and learners to cover the syllabus. In the less time, they will get extra tasks from their teachers to cover their academic curriculum. As a result, they will have less time to prepare for their final exams. For instance, fifth and eighth class students appear for board exams in Pakistan. Having a longer summer break will affect their performance in the final exams. This happens that the summer holidays should be short to prevent them from the poorer performance.

In conclusion, a long summer break gives a chance to students for relaxation, while a shorter break can give them enough time for preparation of their final exams.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions: the first body paragraph explains that a long break lets pupils relax and spend time with family, while the second argues that shorter holidays leave more time to cover the syllabus and prepare for exams. The Pakistan examples make the discussion relevant, and your conclusion restates the contrast. However, the value of long holidays is developed more clearly than the case for shorter ones. The claim that a long break “shortens their schedule” and harms exam performance needs a clearer explanation of how this happens; the point about students receiving extra tasks is also not fully connected to the argument. Develop each reason with a more explicit cause-and-effect link and a specific supporting detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each side of the question, and a conclusion. The contrast marker “In contrast” helps signal the shift between arguments, and examples are placed alongside the points they support. This meets the lower-band expectations for logical organisation and shows some of the stronger progression associated with the next level. However, links between ideas are occasionally mechanical or unclear. For example, “This happens that” does not clearly connect the exam example to the recommendation for shorter holidays, and “while” in the introduction and conclusion carries much of the contrastive work. Use more precise transitions and make the relationship between each example and its main point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “academic calendar,” “syllabus,” “curriculum,” and “final exams.” There is also some variation in how you describe the two sides of the issue. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which limits precision: “provide time to children,” “chance spending quality time,” and “poorer performance” do not sound natural in context. “Formal learning classes” is also an imprecise way to refer to lessons. Aim to learn vocabulary in common word partnerships, and choose terms that express the intended meaning directly. This will make your argument clearer and more fluent without requiring unnecessarily advanced words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “while,” “because,” and “as a result,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. Some sentence forms are controlled, such as “A long break shortens their schedule while a short break gives enough time…” However, there are some errors in agreement and verb forms: “Having long school holidays provide” should use a singular verb, and “can also disturbs” should be “can also disturb.” Other examples include “having summer holidays are essential” and “they do not find enough time,” where the intended subject or meaning is not expressed accurately. Review subject–verb agreement and modal verb patterns, then proofread each sentence for a clear grammatical subject and verb.

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