Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-12

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)

Students excitingly wait for the summer holidays every year. They make lot of plans in advance that how they are going to spend their vacations. The primary and secondary schools provide holidays for 2 months and sometimes even more than that.

To commence with, long vacations are essential for students. It helps them to have a break from pressure of studies. There is plethora of benefits of long holidays. Primarily, it helps students to rejuvenate their fatigued mind and relaxed without having worrying about going to school next day. Some students have the plans to spend some days by visiting hill stations and other destinations with their families. Whereas some choose to visit their grandparents' house and spend time with them. Secondly, some students join extra courses which are not available in their schools. For instance, there are multifarious courses available as per the interest of the students like dancing, singing, karate and so on. This will help them in developing new skills and spend their vacations in an efficient manner.

Although there are various benefits of long vacations, but I am in favor of schools providing shorter holidays. Long holidays bridge a gap between their studies. After spending holidays for 2 months, sometimes it is not easy for the students to cope up with their studies. Long holidays even prevent completion of syllabus on time. Consequently, their academic performance is affected. Additionally, long holidays make them less disciplined. They wake up late in the morning, spend whole day playing with friends. They give less attention on completing their homework. It disrupts their daily routine which they follow while going to school.

To conclude, in my opinion, all the primary and secondary schools should provide shorter school holidays so that the students should follow their day-to-day activities in disciplined manner. This helps them to maintain focus on their studies.

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. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention benefits like rejuvenation and skill-building, these points could be expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The arguments for shorter holidays are relevant, focusing on academic continuity and discipline, but the essay would benefit from a more balanced exploration of the 'value' of long holidays before transitioning to the counter-argument. Overall, the task is fulfilled, but the depth of discussion is at a mid-level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use transition signals such as 'To commence with', 'Secondly', 'Although', and 'Consequently' to guide the reader. However, some of the cohesive devices feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the transition between the benefits and the drawbacks could be smoother to create a more cohesive flow. Referencing is generally clear, but there are minor instances where the connection between sentences could be tightened to improve the overall progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different aspects of the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'rejuvenate', 'fatigued', 'multifarious', and 'disciplined'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'make lot of plans' (should be 'make a lot of plans') and 'cope up with' (should be 'cope with'). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, some phrases feel slightly unnatural. To improve, focus on using collocations more precisely and ensuring that your word choices fit the formal academic tone required for IELTS Task 2.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'There is plethora of benefits' (missing an article), 'relaxed without having worrying' (incorrect verb form), and 'they give less attention on' (incorrect preposition). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the score. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more error-free sentences and ensure greater control over complex structures, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions.

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

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