Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-27

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, primary and secondary institutes are on vacation for two or more months in the summer season. Longer school holidays have several benefits. While shorter holidays maintain the academic schedule. This essay will discuss both views in upcoming paragraphs.

First of all, a shorter holiday helps to keep in mind what they learn daily. Longer breaks may cause one to forget the important lesson. They face difficulty revising those chapters. Shorter holidays help them to maintain their knowledge and skills. For instance, teens who have a break of more than two months may need several weeks to remember mathematics and grammar.

Moreover, the shorter breaks maintain a regular study routine. Frequent attendance helps children to learn discipline and consistent study habits. They are less likely to become lazy and lose motivation. In addition, teachers complete their academic syllabus more effectively and give more time to difficult subjects.

However, longer breaks have their own benefits. Adults have more time for sports or other extracurricular activities. They help to keep healthy and make teens stress-free. Also, people go for vacations in different countries to explore their cultures and learn about their lives. It helps teens to feel fresh and focus back on their studies.

To conclude with, shorter breaks regulate the children's study classes without interruption. They help to remind them about their last chapters easily. Also, help to attend their classes regularly. While on a longer holiday, make children stress-free and help them to take part in other games and activities.

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. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you provide relevant points, such as academic retention and extracurricular benefits, the ideas are not fully extended. For instance, the discussion on 'extracurricular activities' is brief and could benefit from more specific examples or deeper analysis of how these impact long-term development. The position is clear, but the conclusion is slightly repetitive of the body paragraphs rather than synthesizing the arguments. To reach a higher band, ensure each point is supported by a more detailed explanation or a concrete example.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Moreover', and 'However' to signal transitions between ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some sentences lack smooth connections. For example, the sentence 'While shorter holidays maintain the academic schedule' is a fragment and disrupts the flow. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the use of 'They' in the second paragraph, which could refer to either students or the holidays themselves. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear pronoun references would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'academic syllabus', 'extracurricular activities', and 'consistent study habits'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat words like 'shorter', 'longer', and 'holidays'. There are also minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as using 'Adults' when you likely meant 'Students' or 'Children'. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and collocations to demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary and avoid repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the precision of your writing. For instance, 'While shorter holidays maintain the academic schedule' is an incomplete sentence. You also have issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'help to remind them about their last chapters easily'. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'To conclude with, shorter breaks regulate the children's study classes without interruption.' Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy will help improve your score.

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

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