Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-03

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 6.5)

In many nations, schools are closed for a couple of months during the summer break. Primary and secondary school students utilise this break to work on their personal growth. In contrast, a few critics argue in favour of shorter school holidays. In this essay, we will be discussing the value of long summer vacation and the arguments of those in favour of shorter school holidays.

The main reason for long school breaks is for students and teachers to get good rest, avoid year-long burnout, and reduce stress. This can improve the academic scores of students as well. This also grants students time to learn non-academic activities, such as woodwork, cycling, swimming and many other physical activities. Moreover, summer break mainly involves family vacations, which strengthen family bonding, which is very useful for the younger generation to perform well in every way. In the holidays, students can also work their summer jobs, which teaches them to be independent and reassures their parents of their safety.

For those who argue for shorter school holidays, mainly seek for year long academic balance. Working parents prefer to have smaller breaks year-long instead of one long summer break, which can increase the childcare burden on parents. In addition, teachers also prefer multiple shorter summer breaks as students often forget the academic material, which forces teachers to revise the content taught before the break. Some critics would like to add summer school for students who are bad at studies or students who are differently abled to catch up with other well-scoring scholars.

To conclude, extended summer breaks allow students and teachers to be stress-free, work on themselves and enjoy time with family; shorter and frequent breaks tend to assist working parents and preserve academic continuity. Ultimately, a balanced approach, where schools offer rest without prolonged academic interruption, appears to be the most effective solution for both teachers and student families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt clearly. You have identified the benefits of long holidays, such as rest, skill development, and family bonding, and provided logical arguments for shorter holidays, including childcare concerns and academic continuity. The position is clear throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting examples are slightly more detailed. For instance, when mentioning 'summer jobs', you could briefly explain how this specifically fosters responsibility or financial literacy. Overall, the ideas are relevant and well-developed, meeting the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'To conclude' to link your points. However, some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the flow. For example, the transition between the benefits of rest and the benefits of summer jobs within the second paragraph is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would elevate the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your ideas clearly. Phrases like 'year-long burnout', 'academic continuity', and 'childcare burden' are well-chosen and appropriate for the context. There are a few minor issues with word choice, such as 'bad at studies' (which is informal) and 'well-scoring scholars' (which is slightly unnatural). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid overly simplistic phrasing. Your spelling is accurate throughout, and the vocabulary used is generally effective in communicating your arguments without ambiguity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You show good control over basic grammar, and your meaning is always clear. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'mainly seek for' (should be 'mainly seek') and 'students who are bad at studies' (which is grammatically awkward). While you use some complex structures, increasing the variety of your sentence patterns—such as using more conditional or passive constructions—would demonstrate greater flexibility. Overall, your errors are infrequent and do not impede communication, which is a strong foundation for a higher score.

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