Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

It is a point of debate that in many countries, schools are closed for more than a month for summer break. A significant chunk of society welcome conceptions, whereas the remaining members oppose this idea. I entirely support this phenomenon and explain why in the paragraph below

There are numerous arguments which go along with my personal perspective. The first and most prominent lies in the fact that education plays a significant role in an individual's life. While in many schools, students have summer holidays for two months or more. Long holidays help both teachers and students in several ways. Teachers can organise their long trips to freshen their mind, which is not possible in the study time. Nowadays, there is enough burden on teachers and students, which sometimes leads to exploiting their mental health and gives them stress. So, these summer breaks can give them relief from workload and busy schedule. However, students can enroll in extracurricular activities such as swimming, cricket, basketball, and many more.

On the other hand, there are indispensable arguments which are incumbent to be discussed. Despite this, there are also some disadvantages of long school holidays. For instance, some students forget their course structure which they were taught at school before their holidays due to short-term memory. However, such types of students get lower academic results which demotivates them. Hence, the governments should take some necessary steps for the students to shorten their school holidays.

All the above discussed assertions lead to the conclusion that people enjoy numerous benefits due to the trends. So, in my opinion, it would be wise enough to say that school holidays should be shorter for the benefit of students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. However, the position is inconsistent. In the introduction, you state, 'I entirely support this phenomenon' (referring to long holidays), but in the conclusion, you state, 'it would be wise enough to say that school holidays should be shorter.' This contradiction makes your overall stance unclear. While you provide some relevant ideas, such as mental health benefits and academic regression, the development is somewhat superficial. To reach a higher band, ensure your position is maintained consistently throughout the essay and provide more detailed explanations for your arguments rather than listing them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a general progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or misused. For example, the transition 'Despite this' in the third paragraph does not logically connect to the preceding sentence. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where 'the trends' is vague. Paragraphing is present, but the transition between the benefits of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones could be smoother. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'extracurricular activities', 'indispensable', and 'assertions'. However, there are instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'welcome conceptions' (which is unclear) and 'exploiting their mental health' (where 'negatively impacting' would be more appropriate). Some phrases are slightly repetitive or unnatural. To improve, focus on using collocations that sound more natural in an academic context and ensure that your vocabulary choices precisely convey your intended meaning rather than just using complex-sounding words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'It is a point of debate that in many countries, schools are closed...' (which is slightly awkward) and '...which is not possible in the study time' (should be 'during the school term'). You also have issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not typically impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles and prepositions in your complex sentences.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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