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)

It is widely believed that in many countries, primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays. We will discuss both advantages and disadvantages of long school holidays in this essay.

To begin with, one significant advantage of long school holidays is that it has a positive impact on students mental health. To explain it, long holidays provide enough time to students for relaxation, they spend more time with family and can visit their favorite places which help them to release their burn out and stress. For example, students with better mental health are more likely to perform well in exams compared to those who are anxious and tired. Thus, holidays of two months or more are effective for students so they can re-boost their energy level to perform well in class as well as can able to score high grades in exams.

Furthermore, long school holidays also have disadvantages in terms of distraction. To explicate it, if holidays are long, students become lazy, distracted and careless towards studies. As a result, they do not find going to school interesting, also find it harder to return towards studies again. For instance, in some countries, such as Pakistan and india primary and secondary schools offer summer camps so students don't forget their previous lessons and don't get lazy. Thus, holidays should be limited so students find it convenient to return to studies after vacations.

To conclude, holidays play a significant role in the well-being of mental health as students can relax, but holidays should be shorter so they can not be distracted and careless towards studies.

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 mental health benefits and the risk of academic regression. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding 'distraction' is mentioned but could be expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis of the educational impact. The position is clear throughout, but the essay would benefit from more nuanced exploration of the topic to reach a higher band. Overall, it meets the requirements of the task adequately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'To conclude' are used to signal the progression of ideas. However, the use of some cohesive devices is slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and there is a clear central topic for each paragraph. The flow of ideas is generally smooth, though the transition between the benefits and drawbacks could be more sophisticated to improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'holidays', 'students', and 'studies'. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'burn out' and 're-boost', these are not always used in the most natural or academic way. There are no significant spelling errors that impede communication, but the lexical choices remain somewhat limited and predictable throughout the response.

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 several grammatical errors, such as 'can able to' (a redundancy), 'students mental health' (missing possessive apostrophe), and 'return towards studies' (incorrect preposition). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor issues with comma usage. The majority of the sentences are understandable, but the frequency of these small errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. A greater variety of error-free complex structures is needed.

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