Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-20

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 6.5)

Primary and secondary schools remain closed for two or more months in the summer vacations in the majority of the countries. It is crucial because it allows students to relax. Shorter school holidays is beneficial for parents as they get plenty of time for themselves when children are in school and enables them to focus on work.

The importance of long school holidays is that students are able to relax. When schools are opened, students are busy in doing home works and revising daily lectures during weekdays, and on weekends, they have to prepare for weekly tests. As a result, they get less free time to relax and engage in recreational activities. During long summer vacations, they can easily enroll in their favorite activities such as swimming and arts, which not only enables to relax but also gives them an opportunity to learn new skills.

However, shorter school holidays are favored by most parents. When children are at home, mothers do not spare time for themselves. This is because children need full attention of their parents and engage them in playing with them. Therefore, parents want their children to spend most of their time at schools. Another reason is that some parents work in remote jobs. If children are at home, they make noises while playing, making difficult for their elders to concentrate on work. This causes them to procrastinate their work. For instance, in Pakistan many parents prefer going to cafes or offices during their children's vacations because they do not want to be distracted from their children.

In conclusion, schools are closed for more than two months in the summer holidays in many country. It is essential for students because they are able to unwind, but parents are more likely to favor holidays for a short period.

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 ideas are relevant, such as the need for relaxation and the challenges parents face regarding childcare and work productivity. However, the development is somewhat limited. The arguments are presented clearly but lack depth; for example, the point about parents working in 'remote jobs' could be expanded to discuss the broader societal impact or the educational implications of shorter breaks. The position is consistent throughout, and the response covers all requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'As a result', 'However', and 'In conclusion', which help connect sentences and paragraphs. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there is occasional repetition of phrasing (e.g., 'parents' and 'children' are used frequently without much variation). The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to create a more natural, sophisticated structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'recreational activities', 'procrastinate', and 'distracted'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural word choices, such as 'schools are opened' instead of 'schools are in session' and 'mothers do not spare time' instead of 'mothers do not have time'. To reach a higher band, the student should aim for more precise collocations and a broader range of academic vocabulary to express complex ideas more fluently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are recurring grammatical errors, such as 'shorter school holidays is beneficial' (subject-verb agreement), 'enables to relax' (missing object), and 'in many country' (pluralization error). Punctuation is generally correct, but the sentence variety is somewhat restricted. The errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the use of error-free complex sentences and focusing on subject-verb agreement would significantly improve the overall grammatical quality.

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