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)

Many nation's close primary and secondary educational institutes for two months or more for summer holiday. Long holidays during the year provides students with time to learn new skills and to spend time with family. Furthermore, it is widely argued that pupils should be given shorter holiday breaks all year so they can stay productive and consistent.

Educational institutes follow the system of long summer holidays because they believe it is crucial for students to freshen up and have time for other leisure activities such as learning a new language, learning a musical instrument and many more. Additionally, children with working parents have less time to spend with their family which is why summer vacation acts as an avenue for them to spend quality time. Consequently, children develop positive relationship with their families which fosters a peaceful society. For example, a student who learns how to play guitar will have an additional skill that can be useful in their future for which they might not have enough time during school.

Conversely, people believe that children in primary and secondary school should not be given longer holidays, instead, shorter breaks with gaps are more likely to be beneficial. They believe that holidays with shorter gaps are more crucial as they allow students to get more time off from studies that allows them to be more productive, and creative. Moreover, during the year they will get holidays with gaps where they can spend quality time with their family, learn new skills as it will allow them to manage time easily. For instance, a pupil learns to play a guitar, and they keep on practicing during the short breaks due to which they do not forget this skill.

In my opinion, vacations with shorter break all year long allow students to be more consistent and productive with their hobbies. As a result, it teaches them time management and they are more efficient.

In conclusion, longer breaks might give them sufficient time to learn a new skill but shorter breaks allow them to be more consistent in that skill due to which educational institutes should follow the system of shorter holidays.

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. You maintain a clear position throughout, culminating in a personal opinion in the final paragraphs. The ideas are relevant, such as the benefits of family time and skill acquisition. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument about learning a musical instrument is used in both the second and third paragraphs. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph introduces distinct, well-supported points rather than restating similar concepts. Overall, the task is fully addressed, but the depth of analysis could be improved by exploring different facets of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', 'Consequently', and 'Conversely' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the progression of ideas within paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the transition between the benefits of long holidays and the counter-argument about shorter breaks is clear, but the internal logic of the third paragraph is slightly muddled by the repetitive example of the guitar. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the central topic of each paragraph is generally easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'productive', 'consistent', 'fosters', and 'efficient'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'Many nation's close' (should be 'nations close') and 'vacations with shorter break' (should be 'breaks'). While you attempt to use some less common vocabulary, the repetition of phrases like 'learn a new skill' and 'spend quality time' limits the sophistication of your writing. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms and precise collocations to express your ideas with greater nuance and academic tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'Long holidays... provides' (subject-verb agreement error, should be 'provide'), 'Many nation's' (incorrect use of apostrophe), and 'a student who learns... for which they might not have enough time' (slightly awkward phrasing). Despite these errors, the meaning is never obscured, and the communication remains effective. To achieve a higher band, focus on correcting subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent use of pluralization, as well as incorporating a wider variety of complex grammatical structures with greater precision.

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

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