Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

In many nations of the world, primary and secondary schools close for two months or more during summer breaks. While there are some benefits of long school holidays, there are some contention in favour of shorter school breaks.

There are some values of long school breaks. Firstly, it gives pupils an opportunity to rest and reset after several months of academic work for the term. Students are often laden with voluminous academic activities and would naturally need sufficient holiday duration that is commensurate to the amount of work they have had to do for the term. This is because the brain has a limited amount of time to which it can consistently pay attention without needing a break. For instance, when students learn for extended period of time, their brain begin to experience fogs that inhibits further learning. Secondly, long holidays give students the time to focus on other non-academic activities such as skill acquisition, sports and family time. Such activities are essential in producing well-rounded adults.

However, some have argued in favour of shorter holidays. One of the few points raised in this regards is that long holidays disorient students when they eventually return to the class rooms. It is believed that longer breaks expose pupils to distractions that make them struggle with academic work upon resumption. For example, a student learning a foreign language might tend to forget the already learned materials if they fail to practice well at home, thereby, suffer "decay through disuse". Another point is that it makes students spend so much time in a class. A class that takes 11 months could be compressed into about 7 months if holidays become shorter.

In conclusion, while there are few advantages of long holidays such as rest and reset, avenue for extra-curricular activities, some people still argue that shorter holidays could help students finish a class faster.

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 'rest and reset' and the concept of 'decay through disuse'. However, the development of the second point regarding shorter holidays—specifically the idea of compressing an 11-month curriculum into 7 months—is somewhat underdeveloped and lacks a clear explanation of the educational impact. The position is clear throughout, and the response maintains a consistent focus on the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main arguments. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader. While the progression of ideas is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing in the final paragraph could be more sophisticated to improve the flow between the summary of points and the final conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient and generally appropriate for the task. The student uses some good collocations like 'well-rounded adults', 'skill acquisition', and 'decay through disuse'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'there are some contention' (should be 'is some contention') and 'in this regards' (should be 'in this regard'). The range is adequate to convey ideas clearly, though it lacks the more sophisticated, idiomatic, or precise lexical choices that would characterize a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('their brain begin' instead of 'brains begin') and minor punctuation errors (e.g., the comma usage before 'thereby, suffer'). Despite these errors, the meaning is never obscured, and the communication remains clear. To reach a higher band, the student should aim for more consistent accuracy in complex structures and ensure subject-verb agreement is maintained throughout.

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

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