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-charge their energy level to perform well in class as well as are able to score high grades in exams.

Furthermore, long school holidays also have disadvantages in terms of distraction. To illustrate 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 to 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 do not become 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 limited. The arguments are presented in a fairly basic manner, and the essay lacks depth in its analysis. For instance, the discussion on 'distraction' could be expanded with more specific academic or social consequences. While the position is clear, the essay would benefit from more sophisticated supporting evidence to move beyond a general level of discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'To conclude', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical or repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother to achieve a higher band. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall progression of ideas is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. Phrases like 'perform well', 'score high grades', and 'become lazy' are functional but common. There is an attempt to use some less common vocabulary, such as 're-charge their energy level', but the collocation is slightly unnatural. To improve, the student should aim for more sophisticated synonyms and precise academic terminology. Spelling is accurate throughout, and the word choice does not impede communication, but the range is not sufficiently wide to reach the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'it has a positive impact on students' mental health' (the pronoun 'it' lacks a clear antecedent) and 'well-being of mental health' (which is redundant). Punctuation is generally correct, but there are minor issues with sentence construction, such as comma splices in the second paragraph. While the meaning is always clear, the control over complex structures is not consistent enough for a higher band. Increasing the variety of sentence types and ensuring subject-verb agreement would improve the score.

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