Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-31

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 numerous educational systems worlwide, primary and secondary schools shut down for an extended period of two months or more during the summer. While this traditional system is highly valued for allowing students to rest and persue external interests, there is a growing counter-argument that shorter, more frequent breaks are more beneficial for academic retention and family logistics.

The primary value of extanded summer holidays lies in holistic development and well-being of students and educators alike. Academics can be a highly stressful, this holidays period provides necessary relief to prevent burnout and they come with refreshing minds after spending this period. The elder students utilize this time to do part-time jobs and internship for work experience and financial support. Conversely, the younger children dedicated this period to pursue their interests, they go out with their family and friends to explore new places, history and vibrant cultures.

However, compelling arguments exist in favor of shortening these holidays period, mainly due to academic regression, often reffered to as the "summer slide" . Researches indicate during the consecutive two-months period of holidays, students forget the fundamental concepts particularly of Mathematics and languages.In consequence, teachers spend first two weeks of autumn in revision of those concepts that raies a concern in syllabus coverage of second term. Other major concern is family logistics; as the parents have to work extra hours to maintain the living standards of their children and they require more finances to fullfil their desires and make their holidays more productive and enjoyable.

In conclusion, the long holidays are sinificantally advanteguous for student's mental rejuvenation and alternative personal growth outside the standard curriculum. On the contrast, the drawbacks of learning loss and high strain placed on parents are valid reasons to favor the shorter break, more balance schedules of holidays throughout the year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long summer holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, such as the mention of 'summer slide' and the benefits of mental rejuvenation. However, some points could be more deeply explored; for instance, the argument regarding family logistics is slightly underdeveloped and could benefit from a more concrete example. The position is clear throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Conversely', 'However', and 'In consequence', which help guide the reader. However, there are some instances where the flow is slightly mechanical or the referencing is a bit awkward, such as in the second paragraph where the transition between student activities and the benefits of the break could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different aspects of the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. You have used some good topic-specific terms like 'holistic development', 'academic regression', and 'mental rejuvenation'. However, there are several spelling errors (e.g., 'worlwide', 'extanded', 'sinificantally', 'advanteguous') and some minor word choice issues (e.g., 'raies a concern' instead of 'raises concerns'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for common spelling mistakes would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is a good attempt at using complex sentences, but they are often marred by grammatical errors, such as 'Academics can be a highly stressful, this holidays period provides...' (comma splice and article error) and 'they come with refreshing minds' (awkward phrasing). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors suggests that a band 6.0 is appropriate, as the errors are noticeable but do not cause significant difficulty for the reader.

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.