Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-18

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 many countries, schools provide primary and secondary students with summer holidays lasting two months or even longer.

Although,extended holidays can offer several benefits to students.some people argue that shorter breaks would be more beneficial. this essay will discuss the value of long school holidays as well as the arguments in favour of reducing their length.

Long school holidays can be highly valuable for both students and their families. Firstly,children need sufficient time to rest after spending several months studying and completing academic tasks.A lengthy break allows them to recover from stress and return to school feeling refreshed and motivated.

Moreover, summer holidays provide an oppurtunity for children to develop skills outside the classroom. for instance, they can travel with there families,participates in sports, learn a musical instrument or attend short courses. such activities can improve their social skills, creativity and independence. which are difficult to develop through acadamic lessons alone, in addition, longer holidays allow families to spend quality time together, particularly when parents also have annual leave during the summer.

On the other hand, there are convencing arguments for shortening school holidays. the main concern is that students may forget some of the knowledge and skills they have learned during the academic year if they remain away from their studies for a long period.

Consequently,teachers may need to spend considerable time revising previous lessons when students return to school.shorter breaks could help children maintain a more consistent learning routine and make the transition back too school easier.

Furthermore, frequent and lengthy holidays may be particularly inconvienient for working parents, who may have difficulty finding suitable childcare. if school holidays were shorter parents could maintain their normal work schedules while their children remained engaged in education.

In conclusion, long school holidays are valuable because they give students time to rest,spend quality time with families and to learn new skills. nevertheless, shorter holidays can help student retain therir academic knowledge and reduce the child care difficulties faced by working parents.in my view, a balanced approach with a resonabaly long summer break accompined by shorter break throughout the year would provide great benefits for students and families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are relevant and well-supported with examples such as travel, sports, and childcare concerns. The essay is well-structured, and the conclusion provides a balanced view. To reach a higher band, the development of ideas could be slightly more nuanced, perhaps by exploring the long-term impact on academic performance or the specific psychological benefits of rest in more depth, rather than relying on general statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to link ideas. However, there are some issues with punctuation and capitalization, such as missing spaces after periods (e.g., 'tasks.A', 'lessons. in addition') and inconsistent capitalization at the start of sentences. These mechanical errors slightly disrupt the flow, preventing a higher score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You demonstrate a good range of topic-specific language, such as 'academic tasks', 'consistent learning routine', and 'annual leave'. However, there are several spelling errors, including 'oppurtunity', 'convencing', 'inconvienient', 'therir', and 'accompined'. These errors are noticeable but do not impede communication. To improve, focus on proofreading for common spelling mistakes and try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations or less common lexical items to demonstrate a wider range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'participates in sports' (should be 'participate'), 'back too school' (should be 'to'), and 'shorter break throughout the year' (should be 'breaks'). Additionally, there are frequent punctuation errors, particularly missing spaces after full stops and incorrect capitalization. While these errors are frequent, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. Increasing the accuracy of your complex sentences and refining your punctuation will help improve your score.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.