Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-07-30

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)

In many countries, the primary and secondary schools are often closed for two or more months during summer holidays. The most significant reason for the longer holidays is to give students a break from studies, however, this may affect their academic performances.

During summer, the majority of schools remain closed for a few months, so that students could get a long break from their busy school routines. To expound, during the academic year, learners follow a hectic schedule, which includes classes in school-time, homework, and extra classes at tuition centers. As a result, they often feel tired and stressed because of the routine and study pressure. Therefore, the summer vacations offer them a great opportunity to do some rejuvenating activities. For example, they can visit water parks, hill stations and spend time with their families, which may help them to feel relief for some time.

The major argument in the favor of shorter school holidays is that students can be distracted, which might have a negative impact on their academic performances. Once they return back in schools, they might feel challenging to focus again on the curriculum. Moreover, the longer vacations could also be stressful for full-time working parents as they may not be able to look after their children constantly due work responsibilities. For example, if the parents have to take a long leave from their offices, they may face financial loss. Hence, it is not practical to give students a break for a couple of months.

To conclude, although the children in primary and secondary schools could use some time away from their stressful routines, staying away for that time period might effect their learnings along with creating a stressful situation for their guardians.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented. The position is consistent throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the point about parents facing financial loss is a good argument, but it could be expanded with more specific detail or a more nuanced explanation of the societal impact. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points, though it is quite brief. Overall, the essay meets the requirements of the task well, providing a balanced view, but could benefit from more depth in the supporting arguments to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'To expound', 'Moreover', and 'Hence' are used to link sentences and ideas effectively. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the transition between the benefits of long holidays and the drawbacks of them could be slightly smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, and the overall structure supports the reader's understanding of the argument without any significant confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'curriculum', 'rejuvenating', and 'guardians'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'feel challenging' instead of 'find it challenging' and 'effect their learnings' (should be 'affect their learning'). While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. Expanding the range of synonyms and idiomatic expressions would improve the score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is a good attempt at using complex sentences, such as 'Although the children... could use some time... staying away for that time period might effect their learnings'. However, there are several grammatical errors, including 'return back in schools' (redundant 'back' and incorrect preposition), 'in the favor of' (should be 'in favor of'), and the aforementioned confusion between 'affect' and 'effect'. These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. More consistent control over complex structures and punctuation is needed.

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