Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-05

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)

A number of countries, primary and secondary schools are closed due to summer vacation for two months or even more. This essay will explore the value of long vacation and provide arguments about reducing school holidays.

Long summer holidays are beneficial to students because it not only helps students to burnout but also provides access to gain professional skills. For primary schools' students, when schools are close for more than months, they visit relatives, travel to new places which help them to burnout and build a sense of social cohesion, Moreover, during long summer vacation, secondary schools' students engage with temporary part-time works, this early exposure to work often results in obtaining new skills and strengthens their financial ability. Additionally, temporary professional jobs navigate students to find their future profession in the future. Thereby, long holidays bring valuable value for both primary and secondary schools' students.

In terms of shorter school holidays, it reduces the chance of drop out from education. When educational institutions offer longer period of vacation, students may detach from their daily habit, such as doing homework regularly, waking up early in the morning to go to school, studying for longer period of time. As a result, when holidays are ended many students feel indifferent to eduation. Furthermore, shorter school holidays are meaningful for students, they realize the activities and fun they used to in the shcool. Consequenlty, few weeks holidays are better for students, it reduces strain and create an urge for joining the school again, fostering better concentration in class.

In conclusion, although shorter holidays, two or three weeks are enough to reduce strain, I believe providing vacation for longer period of time, from 2 - 4 months adds more value than shorter holidays as it provides opportunity to obtain professional work experience.

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 generally relevant. However, the development is somewhat uneven. For example, the claim that long holidays help students 'to burnout' is a misuse of the term, as burnout refers to exhaustion, not recovery. While the arguments regarding professional skills and academic detachment are relevant, they could be supported with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The conclusion clearly restates the writer's position, ensuring the task requirements are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover,' 'Additionally,' 'In terms of,' and 'Consequently' are used to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the transition 'Thereby, long holidays bring valuable value.' Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel slightly disjointed due to minor grammatical issues. Overall, the progression of ideas is logical, and the paragraphing is appropriate for the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'social cohesion' and 'indifferent to education.' However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'help students to burnout' (which conveys the opposite of the intended meaning) and 'valuable value' (which is redundant). Spelling errors like 'eduation,' 'shcool,' and 'Consequenlty' occur, though they do not impede communication. To improve, the student should focus on more precise collocations and proofreading for spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is an attempt to use complex sentences, such as 'When educational institutions offer longer period of vacation, students may detach from their daily habit.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' missing before 'primary schools'), pluralization ('more than months'), and preposition usage. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some comma splices, such as 'shorter school holidays are meaningful for students, they realize the activities.' While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of the main points.

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