Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-13

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)

Education remains a pressing concern in our today's world, particularly with the debate of how long should summer vaccations be.While some argue that long holidays are of a special importance, some others see that shorter holidays might be sufficient. This essay will explore both perspectives before presenting a personal viewpoint.

In the one hand, proponents of the extended holiday terms often argue that students are in need of a sufficient long break from the mental stress they bear and school assignments of a long academic year, which is particularly important for students to recharge their social and mental capacities preparing for a new year with new challenges. Moreover, students do have the right to build their experience not only in schools through the traditional ways but also in the school of life, and this occurs through travelling, meeting new people and aquiring new skills. A shorter summer break might not be sufficient for pupils to be ready for the next challenge, as an Arabic saying literally tranlates to '' Those who do not know how to rest, do not know how to achieve''.

On the other hand, supporters of the second argument of brief summer breaks claim that longer holidays are a waste of time, while a reasonably long break, of a month or so, is more than anough for students to avoid mental breakdown and spend good time with the family. Futhermore, shorter holidays along the years means younger age of graduation and thus getting ready for new sort of challenge by either joining college or seeking for a job.

In conclusion, while a short term break might be useful in certain cercumstances, I blieve that an extended break is very crucial for personal development and preserving a good mental wellness of a student.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones, followed by a clear personal viewpoint in the conclusion. The ideas presented are generally relevant and supported with explanations, such as the need to mental recovery and early career preparation. However, the development of ideas tends to be slightly brief in places, and some arguments could be extended further with more concrete examples from personal experience rather than generalities. Overall, the task is well-handled and meets the criteria for Band 6.5 to 7.0; looking closely at the band descriptors, the response clearly addresses all parts of the prompt with a clear position throughout, placing it firmly at Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, two body paragraphs exploring opposing views, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'In the one hand', 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'Futhermore'. However, there are some minor mechanical errors in cohesion and referencing, notably the inaccurate collocation 'In the one hand' instead of 'On the one hand'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to separate ideas. Overall, the coherence and cohesion match the Band 6.5 descriptors well, rounding to a solid Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, incorporating less common items such as 'proponents', 'mental stress', 'personal development', and 'mental wellness'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'vaccations' instead of 'vacations', 'aquiring' instead of 'acquiring', 'tranlates' instead of 'translates', 'anough' instead of 'enough', 'cercumstances' instead of 'circumstances', and 'blieve' instead of 'believe'. These errors demonstrate a lack of precision in spelling and occasional awkward collocations, which places the lexical resource clearly within the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as relative clauses and conditional-like phrasing (e.g., 'While some argue that...'). There are, however, several grammatical errors and punctuation slips present, such as 'how long should summer vaccations be' (incorrect indirect question word order), 'some others see that shorter holidays might be sufficient' (awkward phrasing), and missing commas. Despite these errors, communication is rarely impeded, and the meaning remains clear throughout. This balance of complex structures alongside frequent minor errors aligns closely with the Band 6 descriptors.

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

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