Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-13

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)

The length of summer holidays has become a widely discussed issue in recent years. This essay will examine the benefits of long school holidays and discuss the arguments of the shorter breaks.

To begin with, one significant benefit of longer school holidays is that it offers more time for students to relax and enjoy. This is primarily because children spend considerable time at schools in order to complete their academic tasks. They require enough time to relieve their stress and recharge themselves by engaging in recreational activities during this period of time. As a result, they feel less psychological stress when they return to school. For instance, they can go with their families and friends to those spots, which provide enough activities to celebrate with their families. Therefore, this factor plays a significant role in developing children's overall well-being.

Turning to the second question, one notable point of shorter school holidays is that learners can get sufficient time to prepare exams. This is mainly because students devote most of their time at schools, where they should prepare their lessons without any distractions. Consequently, shorter school breaks give children to perform better in exams. For example, students will concentrate on their studies to achieve their academic performance. Thus, this approach contributes to the development of their professional lives.

In conclusion, longer holidays can provide relaxation for students and offer outdoor activities, whereas, shorter school breaks prove beneficial with more time for revising their lessons. Overall, both approaches have their own benefits.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument for shorter holidays focuses on 'preparing for exams,' but this is not fully explored or supported with specific examples of how this would benefit students in the long term. The ideas are relevant but remain at a general level. To reach a higher band, you should provide more concrete examples or deeper analysis of the implications of these policies, such as the impact on teacher workload or student retention rates.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with,' 'Turning to the second question,' and 'Consequently' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the link between 'preparing lessons' and 'professional lives' in the second body paragraph is a bit abrupt and lacks a clear logical bridge. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'psychological stress' and 'recreational activities.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat words like 'time' and 'students' frequently. Some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as 'prepare exams' (should be 'prepare for exams') and 'devote most of their time at schools' (should be 'in school'). Expanding your range of synonyms and focusing on precise collocations would improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is consistently clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'discuss the arguments of the shorter breaks' should be 'arguments for,' and 'give children to perform better' is grammatically incorrect (should be 'allow children to perform better'). There are also minor issues with preposition usage and article placement. While these errors do not impede communication, they demonstrate a lack of consistent control over complex structures, which is necessary for a higher band score.

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

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