Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-11

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)

In various countries, summer breaks in primary and secondary schools are scheduled for two months or more. Long school holidays are beneficial because

they allow students to rest, spend time with their families, and pursue activities outside school. While others contend that shorter breaks has more advantage because it will maintain the learner's academic progress. In my opinion, taking longer summer breaks are more valuable because they provide students sufficient time to recover and engage in other meaningful activities.

On one hand, long school break gives several benefits such as spending more quality time with family and friends, rest from academic responsibilities, have time to enjoy leisure activities and develop life skills, and provide part-time job opportunities for high school students. For instance, some students need to do summer jobs so that they can save allowance for the next academic year.

On the other hand, some contend shorter breaks has more advantage because this do not disrupt the learner's routine or study habits. Additionally, attending school would be more beneficial than taking longer holidays in order for students to maintain academic progress and develop consistent learning habits. For instance, instead of having a three-month summer vacation, schools could reduce the break to four weeks. This would allow the students to have enough time to rest while helping them to maintain their study routines.

In conclusion, while shorter school breaks may have academic advantages, I believe that long holidays are more beneficial overall, as they allow students to recover from academic demands and return to school refreshed and motivated.

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 position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, while you mention 'life skills' and 'part-time jobs', these points are not fully explored or supported with specific, detailed examples. The conclusion is brief and repeats the introduction rather than synthesizing the arguments. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is elaborated upon with more depth and specific evidence, rather than listing several points in a single sentence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two sides of the argument. Cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Additionally' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there is a lack of variety in the cohesive devices used. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the connection between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication. You use some topic-specific terms like 'academic progress', 'academic demands', and 'leisure activities'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat basic words. There are also minor collocation issues, such as 'shorter breaks has more advantage' (should be 'have more advantages'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and ensure subject-verb agreement when using complex nouns.

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 recurring grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'shorter breaks has more advantage', 'this do not disrupt'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not impede overall communication. To achieve a higher band, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, specifically pluralization and verb agreement, and attempt to vary your sentence structure further by using more sophisticated subordinating conjunctions.

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

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