Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-08

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 6.5)

Long summer vacations are a norm in multiple countries. Some individuals believe summer holidays should be long because it provides school going children with an opportunity to travel, pursue their hobbies or indulge in summer activities, while others argue in favor of shorter holidays as they might negatively impact students' daily routine and studies.

Extended school holidays allows families to travel and visit their hometowns during these vacations. Families living abroad utilize these summer holidays to visit their hometown, meet their extended family and spend quality time with them. For instance, Asian families living abroad often schedule a trip to their hometown during their childrens' summer break, as its provides a chance to stay with their families for longer duration. Furthermore, sumercamps offering activities like swimming, painting etc are setup especially during these holidays allowing children to take part in extracurricular activities which has a beneficial impact on their overall well-being and development. Ultimately, allowing the kids to resume school refreshed and rejuvenated.

Meanwhile, parents put a lot of efforts in curating a well disciplined bed-time and study routines. During these holidays, children usually sleep late spending excessive time on smartphones or gaming which messes up their sleep cycle and affects their day to day routine. Moreover, children lose the habit of studying in their vacations which negatively impacts their studies.

In conclusion, although extended summer vacation has its own value as it provides the children a chance to indulge in activities which improve their physical and mental well-being. However, arguments in favor of shorter leaves are also valid because longer vacations might have a negative impact on their studies and routines.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the question and presents a balanced view: long holidays allow family visits and participation in camps, while shorter breaks may help preserve routines and study habits. The examples about families living abroad and children spending time on phones are relevant. However, the value of long holidays is developed more fully than the case for shorter ones. The latter is mainly asserted through disrupted sleep and lost study habits, without explaining how shorter breaks would prevent these problems or offering a supporting example. The conclusion restates both sides but does not clarify which benefits are most significant. Develop the shorter-holiday argument with a specific explanation or example, and make the comparison between the two positions more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two perspectives, and a conclusion. Ideas progress logically within the paragraphs, and linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “Meanwhile,” and “In conclusion” help signal shifts. The contrast between the benefits of extended breaks and concerns about routine is easy to follow. To strengthen cohesion further, make some links between claims more explicit; for example, the sentence about camps ends with a fragment-like result, “Ultimately, allowing the kids to resume school refreshed,” rather than smoothly connecting that outcome to the preceding point. The conclusion also begins with “although” and then “However,” creating a slightly awkward relationship between its clauses. More precise connections and smoother sentence integration would make the progression feel less formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “extended school holidays,” “extracurricular activities,” “overall well-being,” and “sleep cycle.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and the writer attempts some less common expressions. However, several word-choice and spelling issues reduce precision: “sumercamps” is misspelled, “setup” is not the appropriate form in this context, and “curating” is an unnatural choice for establishing routines. Phrases such as “summer activities” and “negative impact” are also broad and repeated rather than specific. Aim for more natural collocations and precise terms—for example, describe families as “maintaining routines” and camps as “organised” or “offered” during the break. Proofreading spelling and word forms would improve control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex forms, including a contrastive opening clause and sentences with “as” and “which.” Meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “Extended school holidays allows” has a plural subject with a singular verb, while “it provides” in the opening does not agree with the plural “holidays.” In “as its provides,” the possessive form is used instead of “it,” and “children lose the habit of studying in their vacations” has an awkward grammatical construction. The sentence beginning “Ultimately, allowing the kids…” is incomplete, and the conclusion’s “although” clause is not smoothly joined to the following sentence. Check subject–verb agreement, clause completeness, and sentence boundaries, while retaining the range of structures already attempted.

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