Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-12

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)

Pupils of primary and secondary schools are enjoying summer vacation for two or more months in order to developing their psychological health and experiences through different productive activities. In contrast, arguments are also arising in favor of shorter holiday periods.

The major benefit of expanding holidays is to foster children's productivity because they can enough time to explore themselves during this period. Due to academic involvement pupils have to maintain their daily routine properly which which keeps them busy with daily classes, home-works as well as exams. Sometimes it becomes suffocating for them, while they want a relief from this boredom. Furthermore, continuous boredom makes them less productive too. In this moment, if they get a long vacation, they can explore themselves by practicing their hobbies. For instance, children can travel, draw pictures, read extracurricular books, do music, learn music, gain new skills, or do whatever they like. Some psychological evidences show that a complete relief from a structured daily routine, and better emotional wellbeing require minimum two months of time.

However, some parents claim that summer vacation should be shorter because they are worried for their children's careers. According to their opinion, children can be inconsistent in their studies if they stay away from their academic structures for a long period. Some recent articles on newspapers reveals some evidences about children who dropped out from their studies because they involved into jobs during those holiday periods and did not want to go back to their hectic life anymore. Additionally, some pupils who joined their studies again seemed to focus as a result of a long break.

In conclusion, long vacations can make children more productive and help to relate inner soul to the outer world which can benefit their growth. On the other hand, long holidays can make them inconsistent to their academic life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. The writer establishes a clear position and supports main ideas with relevant examples, such as children exploring hobbies like travelling or drawing, and parental concerns regarding academic inconsistency or dropping out. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or contain minor generalisations, placing this response comfortably at Band 6.5 to 7.0. For instance, the discussion on psychological evidence is a bit vague. Overall, the prompt requirements are fully met with a clear and coherent stance throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are structured into appropriate paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by body paragraphs addressing each prompt question, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'In contrast', 'Furthermore', 'However', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in the repetition 'which which' and minor awkwardness in transitions. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but the overall flow could be slightly more seamless to reach higher bands. Thus, a Band 6.5 is appropriate, leaning towards a solid Band 6 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'psychological health', 'suffocating', 'extracurricular', and 'inconsistent'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'in order to developing' instead of 'in order to develop', 'do music, learn music', and 'seemed to focus' when a negative modifier like 'lost focus' was clearly intended. Despite these slips, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, fitting the Band 6 descriptors well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied structures. Examples of complex sentences include conditional-like clauses and relative clauses such as 'children who dropped out from their studies because they involved into jobs'. However, there are notable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout, such as 'pupils have to maintain their daily routine properly which which keeps them busy', 'children can enough time', and 'they involved into jobs' instead of 'they became involved in jobs'. Punctuation and article use also show occasional inconsistencies. These errors occasionally disrupt the reading flow, making Band 6 an accurate reflection of the student's grammatical control.

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