Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-04

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 countries the duration of summer holidays has increased for about two months which helps students to improve their extra curricular activities like spending their time on sports, exploring world, and also learning skills like dancing, cooking, etc. On the other hand, the schools having less holidays helps students to not forget their previous attained knowledge.

The schools giving holidays of about two months help students to enhance their skills and spend their time on personal growth. Students usually use these holidays for acquiring knowledge by studying articles, listening podcasts and etc. This gives one the practical knowledge for survival, most of the children spend time in becoming physically fitter by doing workouts or playing games regularly, this helps a child to be fit and it improves his life span. Few others spend their time in exploring different locations for increasing there knowledge and understanding multiple things about the history and culture of the region.

Coming to the schools giving shorter holidays help students not forgetting the concepts which are taught before, it helps them to excel in exams which are going to be written in the future and this makes helps them pursuing their their goals, schools also make a student disciplined regarding their routine and prevents student from procrastination.

In conclusion, having both shorter and longer holidays help student to do better in either extra curricular activities or improving their educational performance. In my perceptive giving more holidays help student as it helps student to spend time for his personal growth.

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 mention personal growth and physical fitness, the ideas are presented in a list-like fashion without deep exploration. The conclusion provides a clear position, but the overall argument lacks the depth required for a higher band. To improve, ensure that each point is supported by a specific, well-explained example rather than just stating general benefits. The response is balanced, but the analysis remains at a surface level throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, the transition 'Coming to the schools' is awkward and not standard academic English. There is also a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas within paragraphs. While the progression of ideas is logical, the flow between sentences could be smoother. Improving the variety of transition signals and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'this', 'these') is precise will help improve the cohesion of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher levels. You rely on basic terms like 'good', 'help', and 'things'. There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'previous attained knowledge' instead of 'previously acquired knowledge' and 'listening podcasts' instead of 'listening to podcasts'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology related to education and personal development. Avoid informal phrasing and ensure that your word forms are accurate.

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 distract the reader. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'schools having less holidays helps'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'this makes helps them pursuing their their goals'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices and missing articles. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately.

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

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