Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-17

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 7.0)

With the changing dynamics of the modern world, there has been a noticeable shift in people’s attitude towards school holidays. In multiple nations, the schools including K-12 education remain shut for up to two months or more during the summer break. The following paragraphs will discuss the benefits of the long school holidays and the perks of shorter summer breaks.

To commence with, the most prominent asset of having a longer break from schools is that it can encourage children to develop their skills in extracurricular activities rather than focusing solely on the school syllabus. Such opportunities can help children enjoy their hobbies and spend an uninterrupted time with their family and friends. In addition to that, youngsters also benefit from a long break as they get a chance to take up part-time jobs, volunteer and participate in internships. Besides all this, it allows both kids and teachers to rest physically and mentally. This can encourage them to get more engaged in their studies when they return to school after a long summer break.

Moving further, another perk of long summer vacation is that it gives a prospect to the teachers to develop their position and acquire a higher certification. This can be beneficial for both students and teachers. For example, during a long summer break, a teacher can attend professional development courses without interrupting regular classes to improve their position and certification.

Conversely, shorter school vacations are also beneficial, as it helps the students to continue their education and learning and reduce the chances of forgetting. A shorter holiday is a gain for students and teachers as it continues the child’s education, while also saving the time of a teacher to re-teach the syllabus. Another benefit of frequent holidays is that it reduces burnout because it gives a chance to rest and relax in between the working school days. As a result, they can return to school feeling refreshed and motivated.

To conclude, long summer breaks can lead to opportunities to develop and build new skills outside the classroom and give them time to relax. On other hand, shorter school holidays helps them continue their education without forgetting the syllabus. Therefore, both are at a good position which has its own advantages for teachers and students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, such as the mention of extracurricular activities and professional development for teachers. However, the development of the argument for shorter holidays is slightly repetitive, focusing heavily on 'forgetting' and 're-teaching'. To reach a higher band, the student could have explored more complex societal or economic implications of shorter holidays, such as the impact on working parents or the efficiency of the academic calendar. Overall, the position is clear and the response is balanced.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'In addition to that', and 'Conversely' are used effectively to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing in the final paragraph ('both are at a good position') is a bit vague. Improving the variety of cohesive links and ensuring that the conclusion synthesizes the arguments more precisely would enhance the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses some good collocations like 'changing dynamics', 'prominent asset', and 'professional development'. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'saving the time of a teacher to re-teach' (which is slightly awkward) and 'both are at a good position' (which is imprecise). While the range is adequate, the essay lacks a wider variety of sophisticated or less common lexical items that would demonstrate a more flexible command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear, and communication is not impeded by the occasional errors. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'gives a prospect to the teachers' (should be 'provides an opportunity') and 'shorter school holidays helps' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally accurate, though there are some minor spacing issues. To improve, the student should focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining the use of articles and prepositions to achieve greater precision.

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

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