Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-10

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)

In multiple nations, primary and secondary schools shuts down for two months or more in the summer vacations. Although extended holidays offer several benefits to students, shorter school breaks also have some significant advantages.

There are many values included in longer holidays, students can relax and spend time with their loved ones which is a significant thing for their mental well being. During vacations students can go out with their family members to watch movies or for many recreational activities. Throughout the years students have to go through lots of pressure, exam weeks made it more worse for them. Extended holidays can bring them peace as they finally get some rest. Students can also participate in many extra curricular activities, which can help them grow confidence and self improvements. They can also travel around the world, by traveling they can learn many things. Traveling to different countries will inspire them to know more about different nations. Students can also develope new hobbies and practical skills.

There are some arguments involved in favour of shorter school holidays. If the holidays are decreased students remain connected to education. They complete their homeworks on time. Less chance of forgetting lessons. Furthermore shorter holidays are beneficial for working parents because they do not have to make ectensive childcare arrangements during lengthy school closures. As a result bothy students and their parents can maintain a more organised daily routine. Students do not usually faces any problem to cope up again with their stressful life. Shorter closures are also beneficial for maintaining good grades.

In conclusion, while long school holidays provide students with valuable opportunities to relax and develop personal interests, shorter breaks help maintain academic progress and reduce the burden on working parents. Both types of holidays have their own benefits.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the question and maintain a clear, balanced position: long holidays allow rest, family time, travel and personal development, while shorter breaks can support learning and help working parents. These points are relevant, and the conclusion summarises the contrast effectively. However, some ideas are asserted rather than explained. For example, you say shorter holidays help students “maintain good grades” and avoid problems returning to routine, but do not explain how this happens or give a specific example. The benefits of long holidays are somewhat more developed, though several examples remain general. To strengthen the response, explain the cause-and-effect behind each main argument and support at least one point in each section with a concrete example. The response contains 288 words; 8 words copied from the task prompt were not counted, and the length requirement is met.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. The progression from the benefits of extended holidays to the case for shorter breaks is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Furthermore” and “As a result” help connect points. This meets the lower-band expectations and shows some features of stronger organisation. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical, with repeated sentence openings such as “Students can” and “They can.” The list of benefits in the long-holiday paragraph also moves quickly from family activities to confidence, travel and hobbies without grouping or prioritising them. Use a clearer topic sentence and develop fewer points in sequence, with precise references that show how each sentence relates to the previous one.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “mental well being,” “recreational activities,” “childcare arrangements,” and “academic progress.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and attempts to use more specific language are evident. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, however, such as “There are many values included,” “grow confidence,” and “maintain good grades” in this context. There are also spelling errors, including “develope,” “ectensive,” and “bothy,” which reduce accuracy even though the meaning is generally recoverable. Aim for more natural academic collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, describe holidays as offering “benefits” or “opportunities,” and say that activities “build confidence” or “develop practical skills.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a concessive opening (“Although extended holidays offer…”) and a conditional sentence (“If the holidays are decreased…”). Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “schools shuts” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “students do not usually faces” also needs agreement correction. The sentence “There are many values included in longer holidays, students can relax…” joins two independent clauses with only a comma, and “Less chance of forgetting lessons” is a fragment. These errors show that control is not yet consistent across sentence types. Review agreement and sentence boundaries, and turn fragments into complete sentences; for instance, “There is less chance that students will forget what they have learned.”

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