Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-01

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 today's modern world, the topic of the vacations provided by primary and secondary schools has attracted considerable attention. This essay will discuss both questions and give my personal opinion.

On the one hand, a long vacation is more flexible and convenient for students. Firstly, it improves physical and psychological health, which is essential for students to achieve high grades in academic period. This is mainly because it helps them to become more focused in studies since it is beneficial for students. Furthermore, a long vacation allows them to spend quality time with family members and friends, which assists them to become more consistent in studies. For example, in Bangladesh, primary and secondary institutions closed for 4 months because it helps students to spend quality time with relatives, which is highly effective for students. Consequently, although students have faced many academic challenges during vacation, I believe that spending time with family and gaining valuable experience by traveling to many places are more significant.

On the other hand, there are several arguments in favour of short school holidays. one key argument is that it retains students knowledge better, which is highly crucial for students. This happens because they stay connected with school, which helps them to gain valuable academic knowledge. In addition, it also assists them to do better academic performance because syllabus is completed by the teachers and students need to work on the subjects in which they have faced difficulties. Hence, a short holiday has many benefits because it offers many opportunities to students, which helps them to achieve high academic grades.

In conclusion, the topic of the long holidays given by educational institutions has become increasingly crucial. Although short holidays have many benefits, I believe that the long vacations are more beneficial because it can bring significant benefits in the long run. Therefore, a long vacation is essential for students since it brings many positive outcomes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. You maintain a clear position throughout, favouring longer breaks. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, you mention 'academic performance' and 'high grades' multiple times in both body paragraphs without providing deep analysis of the underlying reasons. To reach a higher band, try to expand on the 'why'—for example, explaining how specific extracurricular activities during long holidays foster soft skills that schools cannot teach. The example regarding Bangladesh is relevant but could be more specific regarding the actual activities students engage in during that time.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organised with clear paragraphing. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'which helps/assists/allows'. The flow between sentences is generally smooth, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved by varying the way you link ideas. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences are slightly circular in their logic, which slightly impacts the overall progression of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. You use some good collocations like 'academic challenges', 'positive outcomes', and 'educational institutions'. However, there is a tendency to repeat basic words like 'students', 'benefits', and 'academic'. To improve, try to use synonyms or more precise terminology. For example, instead of repeating 'benefits', you could use 'advantages', 'merits', or 'favourable impacts'. There are no significant spelling errors, and your word choice is generally appropriate, though it lacks the sophistication required for the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is always clear, there are recurring grammatical slips. For example, 'primary and secondary institutions closed' should be 'are closed' or 'close'. You also have issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'it helps students to do better academic performance' (should be 'achieve better academic performance'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on ensuring consistent tense usage and refining your use of articles and prepositions.

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