Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-08

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, primary and secondary schools give an extended break in the summer, a long summer break is essential to catch up with family and allow students to enjoy leisure activities. However, a short break is pivotal for students to maintain academic progress without learning loss and provides convenience for working parents.

Summer breaks give children a chance to recharge their batteries. During the school holidays, children have more free time to unwind. Long breaks can provide children with opportunities to explore recreational activities with their families. They can take part in several activities of their interest outside the classroom, and it will provide a chance to create an emotional bonding with their families, which will positively effect their personal and professional development. For instance, children who spend time doing fun-activities with their families like painting and playing different games are more confident and emotionally stable as compared to those who spend most of their time in studies.

However, long breaks cause children to forget what they have learned. Shorter holidays help them retain knowledge and skills. They can return to school and resume learning more easily. Shorter breaks prevent them from becoming disengaged from academic work. This can improve concentration and academic performance. Additionally, long holidays can be difficult for parents who work full-time. They may have to arrange expensive childcare. For instance, shorter holidays can make childcare easier and more affordable.

To conclude, while longer holidays provide freedom and family bonding for children, shorter holidays provide structured laerning environm

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 essay is incomplete; it ends abruptly in the middle of the conclusion, which prevents a fully developed final summary. While the main body paragraphs provide clear arguments and examples, such as the mention of childcare costs and academic retention, the lack of a finished conclusion limits the overall development. To reach a higher band, ensure that all sections of the essay, including the conclusion, are fully articulated to provide a sense of closure.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the prompt. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'For instance', and 'Additionally' are used effectively to link sentences and ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate for the structure of an IELTS essay. The main issue is the abrupt ending, which disrupts the flow of the final paragraph. Despite this, the overall arrangement is coherent, and the reader can easily follow the writer's line of reasoning throughout the body of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The writer uses some good collocations like 'recharge their batteries', 'academic progress', and 'emotional bonding'. There are minor errors, such as 'positively effect' (should be 'affect') and the typo 'laerning environm' at the end. The range of vocabulary is adequate to convey the intended meaning clearly, though it lacks the more sophisticated or precise lexical items that would characterize a higher band score. Improving the variety of academic vocabulary would enhance the quality of the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and grammatically sound, though there are occasional errors. For example, 'a long summer break is essential to catch up with family' is a comma splice, and 'fun-activities' does not require a hyphen. The control of grammar is generally good, and errors do not impede communication. To improve, the writer should focus on avoiding comma splices and ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement. The incomplete final sentence makes it difficult to assess the complexity of the conclusion, but the existing structures are functional.

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

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