Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Over the decade, a drastic rise has been observed in the field of education. Moreover, different methods and techniques have been developed for children. Primary and secondary schools give long holidays to students. There has been a considerable debate on whether long summer holidays are significant for pupils or unnecessary and can have a detrimental effect on their academics.

A fraction of people believe that long summer holidays have a vital role in their academic outcomes. For example, pupils can revise the topics that they were facing difficulties with or can cover the next topics in advance; these activities can boost their results. Moreover, during summer holidays, students can rejuvenate their minds, and holidays act as a stress buster for them. Furthermore, they can spend gala time with their loved ones, which helps them to enhance the bond and can make the relationship even stronger. In addition, holidays are necessary; some students are not bookworms and also like to spend time on other activities.

On the contrary, it is believed that these long breaks have a deleterious impact on the children's studies. Nevertheless, short holidays are good for pupils as they can have a rest from studies and do not impact the students' outcomes. A survey conducted by a prestigious newspaper, The Hindustan Times, revealed that after the long breaks from school, students have to face difficulties in studies.

Different people have different notions regarding the statement, but I have sound reasons to advocate that long breaks play a part-and-parcel role in academics session, but disadvantages can't be overlooked

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. However, the development is somewhat superficial. While you mention that holidays allow for revision or rejuvenation, these points are not fully extended with concrete examples or deeper analysis. The conclusion is a bit abrupt and does not clearly synthesise the arguments presented. To reach a higher band, ensure that each main idea is supported by a clear, logical explanation or a specific, illustrative example that connects directly back to the prompt's core question.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'On the contrary' to link your thoughts. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing could be more precise. For instance, the link between the 'Hindustan Times' survey and the argument for shorter holidays is a bit abrupt. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring that each paragraph has a strong topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including phrases like 'detrimental effect', 'deleterious impact', and 'part-and-parcel'. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'gala time' (which is not standard in this context) and 'academics session'. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the precision is occasionally lacking. To improve, focus on using collocations that sound more natural in an academic context and ensure that your word choices are consistently appropriate for the formal tone required in IELTS writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. Most of your sentences are clear and easy to follow. There are some minor grammatical errors, such as 'Over the decade' (should be 'Over the last decade') and 'the academic session' (missing article). Additionally, some phrasing is slightly awkward, such as 'a part-and-parcel role in academics session'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for small articles and preposition usage to increase your accuracy.

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