Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-07

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)

Nowadays, in many countries, primary and secondary schools remain closed for two months or even longer during the summer holidays. This essay will discuss its arguments and favours in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, one significant value of long summer holiday is that it gives students an opportunity to relax after academic year. In other words, continuous study can be stressful for students, thus long break helps children recover and return to school with renewed energy. Moreover, students can spend quality time with their families, travel new places and learn skills. For example, a survey conducted by education department showed that a student can join a sports camp, learn a musical instruments or develop a new hobby during summer holidays. Hence, a long break plays an important role in balancing education and family time.

On the other hand, many people believe that shorter holidays would be more beneficial. One reason is that students tends to forgot their academic concepts during long break. As a result, teachers often need extra time to revise old topics. In addition, shorter holidays help students maintain a regular learning routine and importance their performance. For instance, a study showed that this is useful for young children, who are practising subjects such as mathematics and language learning. Hence, shorter breaks reduce childcare problems for working parents.

In conclusion, long holidays are valueable because they provide students family time and opportunities for personal development. However shorter holidays can maintain academic progress and create a more stable learning routine.

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 ideas are relevant and clearly presented. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you provide examples like sports camps or mathematics practice, these could be expanded further to reach a higher band. The position is clear throughout the essay. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more detailed explanation of the 'why' behind your points, rather than just listing them. Overall, the task is fulfilled adequately, covering all requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally slightly awkward, such as in the phrase 'its arguments and favours'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main viewpoints. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the flow between sentences is more natural and less formulaic.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, allowing you to convey your ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'academic concepts' and 'personal development'. However, there are some word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'travel new places' (should be 'travel to new places'), 'learn a musical instruments' (pluralization error), and 'holidays are valueable' (spelling error). The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your meaning, but more precision and fewer errors in word formation would be required for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'students tends to forgot' contains subject-verb agreement and tense errors (should be 'students tend to forget'). Additionally, 'importance their performance' is an incorrect use of a noun where a verb is needed. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb forms will significantly improve your accuracy.

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.