Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-15

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 some countries, both primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays. Children often have a significant amount of free time during this period. Some people argue that long school holidays are important, while others argue that shorter holidays are beneficial. This essay will discuss the benefits of long holidays and arguments in favour of shorter holidays.

On the one hand, long holidays encourage children to participate in extra-curricular activities. This is because during the regular school days, children often spend maximum hours studying and cannot get time for extra-curricular activities. For example, if a child willing to learn piano, they may not be able to learn during school days because of tight schedules. Therefore, a child can learn piano during the long holidays in summer because it requires a months of hard work. Additionally, long holidays help families to plan long tours. The families cannot go to a tour during school days. As a result, long holidays encourage the family to plan tour to foreign countries.

On the other hand, there are some important aspects of shorter holidays. Firstly, shorter holidays help children to stick to their learning techniques. Children often forget their learning habits and techniques during long gaps between their studies. As a result shorter holidays help children to preserve this skills. Secondly, shorter holidays prevent children from wasting their time. For instance, if a child is wasting time at home, not participating in extra-curricular activities, shorter holiday prevent this situation.

In conclusion, both longer and shorter holidays remain valuable. A balanced approach works best. Longer holidays help children to cope with extra skills, whereas shorter holidays preserve learning techniques.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

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. For instance, the argument about 'learning techniques' is mentioned but not fully explained or supported with specific examples. The points regarding 'tours' and 'piano' are relevant but could be expanded to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the educational or social implications. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more nuanced arguments and ensure that each point is fully explored rather than just stated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Firstly', and 'In conclusion' effectively. However, the transition between some sentences is slightly mechanical, and the use of referencing could be more sophisticated. For example, the link between the two points in the second paragraph could be smoother. Overall, the structure is coherent and serves the purpose of the essay well.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'extra-curricular activities' and 'learning habits'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'plan tour' (should be 'plan a tour') and 'cope with extra skills' (which is not the most natural phrasing in this context). To improve, try to incorporate a wider range of less common lexical items and pay closer attention to natural word combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'if a child willing to learn' (missing verb 'is'), 'requires a months of hard work' (incorrect article/pluralization), and 'shorter holiday prevent' (subject-verb agreement). These errors do not impede communication, but they do indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of subject-verb agreement and article usage. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy would help raise your score.

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

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