Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-07-24

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 7.0)

Conversely, advocates for shorter holidays highlight academic and equity concerns. Extended breaks can lead to learning loss, particularly in mathematics and reading, with marginalized students disproportionately affected. Studies, such as the ‘summer slide’ phenomenon documented by the National Summer Learning Association, show that students can forget up to two months of instruction. Shortened breaks would allow for continuous learning, reducing the need for lengthy review periods in the new school year. Furthermore, working parents face childcare challenges during long holidays, incurring costs for summer programs or losing productivity. Shorter breaks, interspersed throughout the year, could alleviate this burden and align better with modern work schedules. However, it is crucial to balance these academic gains with the risk of student fatigue; non-stop schooling without adequate rest might undermine long-term retention and creativity. Therefore, a nuanced approach—such as modification rather than elimination of long holidays—may be optimal.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response is significantly under-length at 145 words, failing to meet the 250-word minimum requirement. This severely limits your ability to develop your ideas fully. While you address both parts of the prompt—the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones—the lack of depth and the absence of an introduction and conclusion prevent a complete response. To improve, you must expand your arguments with more detailed examples and ensure you provide a clear, structured essay format. Because the task is not fully addressed due to the word count, the score is restricted.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The writing is coherent and flows logically. You use cohesive devices effectively, such as 'Conversely,' 'Furthermore,' and 'Therefore,' to transition between ideas. The paragraphing is logical, though the response is essentially a single body paragraph. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate the ability to organize a full essay with a clear introduction, distinct body paragraphs for each prompt requirement, and a concluding summary. The current structure is too brief to demonstrate a full range of cohesive skills.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

Your vocabulary is strong and demonstrates a good level of sophistication. Phrases like 'disproportionately affected,' 'summer slide phenomenon,' and 'alleviate this burden' show an ability to use precise, academic language. There are no spelling errors, and the word choice is consistently appropriate for the context. To improve, try to incorporate a wider variety of collocations and idiomatic academic expressions to demonstrate even greater flexibility, though your current range is already quite good for this length.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The grammar is highly accurate, with a variety of complex sentence structures used correctly. You demonstrate control over punctuation and clause subordination, such as in the sentence: 'Shortened breaks would allow for continuous learning, reducing the need for lengthy review periods in the new school year.' There are no noticeable grammatical errors. While the range is good, the brevity of the text limits the opportunity to showcase a wider variety of complex structures. Maintaining this level of accuracy in a longer piece would likely result in a higher score.

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