Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-09

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 6.5)

There is an ongoing debate about the duration of primary and secondary schools' vacations. Some peole argue that longer summer holidays provide a decent break to pupils so they can travel oversea to relax and may avoid high temperature. While others believe that shorter holidays are more beneficial as it gives frequent breaks and students remain more dedicated to studies.

On the one hand, supporters of long breaks believe that learners can get an opportunity to visit other countries. This is because long holidays provide them a sufficient time period to plan a tripe, which is not possible during short period. This could prove a great activity for their mental health. Furthermore, during the summer time, temperature in many countries remains extremely high so long breaks can help them to stay inside. For example, in Pakistan, schools usually remain close for 2 to 3 months during the summer breaks with the intention that pupils can avoid high temperature and heatstroke.

On the other hand, individuals opine that shorter holidays provide students regular break form studies. This means that they are not tried or annoyed from the school. Moreove, several short breaks keep learners more focused to the studies. This is because of education remains in their schedule regularly. For instance, in Australia, schools mostly remain close for two weeks after every two months. As a result, students get regular breaks and come back to school earlie.

To conclude, longer holidays are beneficial for health and travel, while shorter holidays are helpful for better education.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the value of long holidays and the arguments for shorter ones. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of heat in Pakistan and the Australian school system. However, the development is somewhat basic. To reach a higher band, the arguments could be extended with more depth or analysis regarding the impact on academic performance or student well-being. The position is clear throughout, and the conclusion provides a concise summary of the main points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two sides of the argument. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'To conclude' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, there are occasional mechanical errors in cohesion, such as the slightly awkward phrasing 'While others believe' at the start of a sentence without a preceding main clause, and some minor issues with referencing that slightly disrupt the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'vacations', 'mental health', and 'heatstroke'. However, there are several spelling errors ('peole', 'oversea', 'tripe', 'Moreove', 'earlie') and some imprecise word choices, such as 'annoyed from the school' instead of 'bored with school' or 'tired of school'. The range is sufficient but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band 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 frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('temperature in many countries remains', 'education remains in their schedule') and article usage errors ('during the summer time'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'students remain more dedicated to studies' and 'they are not tried or annoyed from the school'. These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.

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

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