Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

It is widely acknowledge that school students in numerous nations enjoy summer breaks lasting two months or longer. While such extended holidays offer several benefits, there are compelling reasons why some believe shorter breaks would be more advantageous. This essay will examine both perspectives before presenting my own view.

Long summer holidays serve several important purposes. Firstly, they give children the opportunity to rest and recover from mental strain of the academic year, reducing the risk of burnout. Secondary, this extended free time allows families to bond through travel, shared activities, or simply spending more time together, which strengthens the relationship that are often neglected during busy school terms. Furthermore, students can pursue hobbies, sports or part-time job that develop skills not taught in the classroom, such as independence and financial responsibility. For example, many teenagers in the UK use their use their summer breaks to gain work experience, which enhance their employability later in life.

However, there are strong arguments favouring shorter holidays. A major concern is the “summer learning loss,” where students, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, forget significant portion of what they learned, forcing teachers to spend valuable time on revision once school resumes. Additionally, working parents often struggle to arrange childcare for such a lengthy period, which can place financial and emotional strain in families. Shorter, more frequent breaks throughout the year could instead provide consistent rest while minimising knowledge loss and easing logistical burdens on parents.

In conclusion, while extended summer holidays offer valuable time for rest and family bonding, the risk of

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying both the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. The position is clear from the introduction. However, the essay is incomplete; it ends abruptly in the middle of the conclusion, which prevents a full development of the final summary. While the ideas presented are relevant and supported with examples like the UK work experience, the lack of a finished conclusion limits the overall impact and completeness of the response. To reach a higher band, ensure that all sections of the essay, including the conclusion, are fully realised.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two main perspectives. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondary' (should be 'Secondly'), 'Furthermore', and 'However' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally good, the abrupt ending disrupts the cohesion of the final paragraph. Referencing is generally clear, though minor errors in cohesive device usage, such as the incorrect ordinal 'Secondary', slightly detract from the overall fluency.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with some good collocations such as 'mental strain', 'academic year', and 'disadvantaged backgrounds'. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'widely acknowledge' (should be 'acknowledged') and 'significant portion' (should be 'a significant portion'). The range is sufficient to convey ideas clearly, but it lacks the more sophisticated, precise vocabulary that would be required for a higher band. The repetition of 'summer breaks' and 'holidays' could be improved by using synonyms like 'vacation periods' or 'recesses'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'relationship that are often neglected' (subject-verb agreement), 'part-time job' (should be plural), and 'strain in families' (should be 'strain on families'). Additionally, there is a repetitive error in 'use their use their'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. The control of punctuation is generally good, but the incomplete final sentence leaves the grammatical structure of the conclusion unresolved.

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.