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)

In many nations, primary and secondary schools give summer holidays for longer times. The prime importance of these holidays are they allow pupils to participate in extra curricular activities, and children feel more relaxed. However, some people also support shorter school holidays because in schools students feel active and do not waste their time in bad activities.

Summer holidays have significant value in children's life. This is because students choose various activities such as swimming, playing, cycling and many other to stay fit and active. It is very beneficial for their mental and physical health so, they feel more relaxed and calm. The significant number of teenagers become stressed due to high burden of studies therefore, these seasonal vacations help them to come out from that anxiety and pressure. In addition, most of the time parents decide to take their children to other countries for visit. That is the reason these vacations are very essential. For instance, in many nations, such as united states students have summer and winter holidays every year for relaxation.

On the other hand, some individuals are in favor of shorter school holidays because they believe that adolescents may involve in bad things if they have extra time. As a result, when they go to school on a regular basis, children follow a proper schedule. In this way, they interact with teacher and fellows and learn a lot of skills such as problem-solving and communication skills. For example, in Asian countries schools call students for boarding classes for learning new skills.

In conclusion, primary and secondary schools give longer holidays to children for their mental peace and relaxation. While few think that shorter vacations are more better for staying active and learning various skills.

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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding 'bad activities' is mentioned but not fully explored or exemplified with depth. The examples provided, such as 'swimming' or 'boarding classes', are relevant but could be expanded to better illustrate the impact on students. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explained with a clear link back to the main argument, rather than just listing activities or general statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. There is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'In addition', 'On the other hand', and 'As a result' are used to link sentences and paragraphs effectively. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is generally accurate, though the essay would benefit from a more varied range of cohesive markers to avoid repetitive structures at the start of sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'extra curricular activities', 'adolescents', and 'problem-solving'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'more better' (which is grammatically redundant) and 'come out from that anxiety'. The range is sufficient to communicate, but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Expanding the range of synonyms and focusing on natural collocations would improve the score significantly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('The prime importance... are') and article usage ('the united states'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in sentence construction that occasionally distract the reader. To improve, the student should focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining the use of articles and prepositions. The current control is sufficient for basic communication but lacks the consistent accuracy required for a higher band.

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

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