Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In many countries across the world, summer holidays are given to students in primary and secondary schools and they last for two months or more. I personally feel the schools are doing the correct thing.

There are specific reasons for long school holidays, the summers are too hot to be coming to school and actually learning something, for example in India the temperature crosses 40 degree celsius during summer, so students rest and take care of their health. Another reason is that in some countries summer holidays are after starting a new academic year and in some countries they are given before the final or advancement exams, in first case these holidays can be used for learning the basic concepts for the next year and for the later case the summer break can be considered as preparation holidays and used to refine students skills.

Nevertheless other people may argue that shorter school holidays are more beneficial as they reduce the risk of students loosing habitual studying, and the pace of syllabus completion will be decent rather than rushing it which can be the case if long school holidays are given. The solutions of these problems are already being implemented in many schools for example holiday homework and tasks specific to each subject is given to students and course of study is designed in such a way that even after accommodating 2 months of summer holidays it will still be comfortable in finishing syllabus for teachers.

Yet another reason is, the long summer holidays can be used for internships, camps for specific skills, work experience etc which are crucial in students overall growth.

In conclusion, long school break during summer is worth it for the students and it is beneficial for students in many ways.

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, such as the impact of extreme weather and the benefits of internships. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The argument regarding 'habitual studying' is introduced but not fully explored, and the transition between the benefits of long holidays and the counter-arguments is a bit abrupt. While the position is clear, the supporting examples could be more detailed to reach a higher band. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed, but the depth of analysis is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. There is a logical progression of ideas, moving from the benefits of long breaks to the counter-arguments and then to additional advantages. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Nevertheless', 'In conclusion', and 'Another reason is', although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, though the sentence structure within paragraphs could be more fluid to improve the overall flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'accommodating' and 'crucial', which are used appropriately. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'loosing habitual studying' (should be 'losing the habit of studying') and 'advancement exams'. The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as comma splices ('...during summer, so students rest...') and issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. For instance, 'in first case' should be 'in the first case'. Punctuation is occasionally inconsistent, which affects the readability of some sentences. The majority of sentences are understandable, but the frequency of these minor errors prevents a higher score.

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

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