Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-06

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 today's world, schools in several countries have holidays lasting two or more months, while they offer numerous benefits for the students and teachers, there are also convincing arguments in favour of shortening them.

Long holidays play an important role in student's overall well being. During the academic year, children often face considerable pressure from examinations, presentations and assignments. A lengthy break can help them recover both physically and mentally. Moreover, the holidays provide valuable opportunities for the children to participate in various extracurricular activities, these holidays also help parents to spend quality time with their children by organising vacations and picnics. Furthermore, students can participate in sports, pursue their hobbies and can acquire practical skills that are not taught in the classroom. Such experiences contribute to their personal growth and can foster creativity, independence and self-confidence.

Despite these advantages, there are several arguments in favour of shorter school holidays. One of the main concerns is learning loss, as students may forget a substantial amount of knowledge acquired during the academic year. Subsequently, prolonged holidays can create difficulties for working parents, many of whom struggle to arrange affordable childcare. Shorter breaks distributed more evenly throughout the school year can help to overcome the problem while ensuring that children recover from exhaustion from constant routine. Additionally, educational researchers have discovered that regular classroom instruction with shorter interruptions may improve long-term academic performance of an individual.

To conclude, Long summers can provide children with essential opportunities for skill development, strengthen family bond and participate in extracurricular activities, while reducing the breaks can minimise the learning loss and can ease childcare challenges. Therefore the ideal approach may not be to eliminate long holidays but to introduce a balanced schedule which can benefit both students and parents.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt clearly. You have identified the value of long holidays (well-being, extracurricular activities, family time) and provided arguments for shorter ones (learning loss, childcare issues). The position is consistent throughout, and the ideas are well-developed with relevant examples. To reach a higher band, ensure that the introduction clearly outlines your stance on the 'ideal approach' mentioned in the conclusion, rather than leaving it until the final sentence. Overall, the task is fully addressed with well-supported arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two main viewpoints. You use a variety of cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', 'Despite these advantages', and 'To conclude' to link ideas. However, there are some minor issues with comma splices, such as in the first paragraph ('...two or more months, while they offer...') and the second paragraph ('...extracurricular activities, these holidays also...'). Using a full stop or a semicolon would improve the flow and cohesion significantly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'overall well-being', 'prolonged holidays', and 'academic performance' are used correctly. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is generally successful. To improve, avoid repetitive phrasing; for instance, you use the word 'participate' twice in the same paragraph. Expanding your range of synonyms for 'holidays' or 'breaks' would also enhance the lexical variety of the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most sentences are clear and error-free. However, there are some grammatical slips, such as the missing apostrophe in 'student's overall well being' (should be 'students'' as it refers to plural students) and the inconsistent use of articles. Additionally, some sentences are slightly run-on due to comma usage. Despite these minor errors, your control of grammar is strong, and the meaning is never obscured. Focusing on punctuation and pluralization will help elevate your score.

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