Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-21

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)

Summer holidays play a crucial role in students' life, while primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer vacations in many countries. Although pupils get more time to engage in other activities if longer vacation provided, shorter break help them to maintain their academic progress. This essay will examiner both viewpoints.

One major benefit is that students may engaged in some physical activities to stay active which help them to enhance their flexibility and fitness. Pupils might gain confidence and relax by connecting in sports which help students to boost their academic performance by staying focused and confident. In addition, children get time to spend with their cousins and close once and might plan any trip with their families and friends. For instance, pupils can experience an international trip if longer school holidays provided which help them explore new country and adopt different culture as well as try several new cuisines. As a result, pupils might try new sports and experience different traditions. Therefore, lang vacation means a lot for children by taking break from dairy routine.

However, too long vacation distract youth from studies, while shorter school holidays help students engaging in studies which improve their interest towards formal learning. Shorter holidays allow children to develop some new skills which leads better employment opportunity and help people in competitive job market. To exemplify, students may learn deep concept about problem solving, critical thinking, communication which help them to solve difficult task confidently. Consequently, pupil can enhance their confidence by engaging long time studying.

In conclusion, long break help children to explore new activities and place. However, shorter vacation help children maintaining their academic progress. Therefore, I believe schools should follow a balance view.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

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. However, the development is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the second body paragraph where the focus on 'skills' and 'employment' is mentioned but not fully explored with specific, concrete examples. The essay would benefit from more depth in the arguments provided. While the task is addressed, the supporting evidence is occasionally generic, which limits the score to a 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In addition', 'For instance', 'However', and 'Consequently'. However, some of these are used mechanically, and there are instances where the flow is slightly disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'while primary and secondary schools close' in the introduction. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure could be more sophisticated to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several instances of word-choice errors or awkward collocations, such as 'connecting in sports' (instead of 'participating in'), 'close once' (instead of 'close ones'), and 'lang vacation' (spelling error). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points, but the student relies on basic terms and struggles to use less common lexical items accurately. To improve, the student should focus on collocations and more precise academic terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'shorter break help' (subject-verb agreement), 'if longer vacation provided' (missing auxiliary verb), and 'students may engaged' (incorrect verb form). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and verb tense usage prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. More attention to subject-verb agreement and consistent verb forms is necessary.

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