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 countries, schools provided the summer breaks lasting for two months or more. While long holidays offers important benefits, there are also strong arguments to reduce the length of the holidays. This eassy wil discuss the value of extended holidays and the importance of short breaks.
One major benefits is that they provide the students enough time to sleep and recover their demanding through academic year. Studying continuously throughout the year can be tiring so the long holidays can helps them to recover and renewed the fresh energy for their new sessions. In addition, long holidays can helps the students to spend time with their families, they can make new friends besides the classroom and they can learn the new things beside the coursebook. For examples, some families can plan their trip with their children, can learn to play musical instruments and dance also some can learn the basic skills from home such as cooking, cleaning and other households things. These helps students to develop their personal and social skills.
However, there are several reasons why schools should give short and preferable holidays. The most significant reason is that some students can forget the knowledge they gain throughout the academic year. Consequently, teachers has to revised the previous knowledge. Also, short holidays are best for the children whose parents are working. Shorter holidays help students to maintain their academic routine. In todays digital era if there is a one day holiday many students or children are in their mobile phone in holidays so it is best to give a shorter breaks.
In my view, both shorter and long vacations have their own advantages but a balanced approach must be benefical. Students need sufficient time to rest and to learn the activities outside the classroom but long holiday may interrupt their learning. Therefore, school should provided reasonable long vacation and some short breaks over the academic period.
In conclusion, longer school holidays can help students to rest, to work on their personal interest and spend time with their families while short breaks can prevent learning loss and help families difficulties to childcare who are working parents. Therefore, the school should maintain the balanced between the longer and shorter vacations.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
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 well-developed. For instance, you discuss the benefits of rest and family time, as well as the drawbacks like learning loss and childcare difficulties. However, some points could be extended further to reach a higher band; for example, the mention of 'digital era' and mobile phone usage is a relevant point but remains slightly underdeveloped. Overall, the response covers all requirements of the task effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'However', 'Consequently', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader through your arguments. While the paragraphing is appropriate, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. Additionally, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the sentence 'These helps students to develop their personal and social skills', where the pronoun 'These' lacks a clear, singular antecedent. Despite these minor issues, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'academic routine', 'demanding', and 'balanced approach'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'recover their demanding through academic year' (should be 'recover from the demands of the academic year') and 'renewed the fresh energy'. There are also some spelling and grammatical slips, such as 'eassy' and 'benefical'. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring that your vocabulary choices are natural and contextually accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'long holidays can helps', 'teachers has to revised') and incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'school should provided'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some run-on sentences and missing articles. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage would significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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