Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-14

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)

Nowadays, a large number of primary and secondary schools have longer summer holidays. Due to this, educational activities stop for two or more months. A large segment of people believe that long school holidays have a positive effect on child development, while others argue that summer holidays should be shorter.

The major advantage of long school holidays is that children have more time to participate in extracurricular activities. Furthermore, students can learn new skills relevant to their interests. This is because, during summer holidays, numerous technical institutions offer multiple short technical skills courses. As a result, children can learn new practical as well as soft skills, which not only enable them to find out their passion but also help them to grow further in education. Therefore, students who enroll in technical trade courses and actively participate in physical activities during holidays have clear future goals and a healthy mindset. For example, children enrolled in trade courses have more skills and practical experience. Due to this, they perform well not only in class after schools reopen but are also more likely to be active in practical life.

On the other hand, those who support shorter summer holidays argue that it can result in a loss of education. This is because, during holidays, a large number of students do not study regularly and waste a large amount of time watching TV and using social media. Consequently, when schools reopen, many students have weak memories. Due to this, they cannot focus on their classroom lessons. In addition, they also forget their class lessons which they studied before the holidays, and even some students lose their interest in education. For instance, many Pakistani primary and secondary schools face a shortage of students after long summer holidays. This is mainly because they lose interest in education and have difficulty remembering lessons.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that long summer holidays are more beneficial for children because they not only stay active and healthy but also develop their intellect by enrolling in and participating in activities and short technical courses.

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. A clear position is presented and maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are extended and supported with relevant explanations and examples, such as mentioning technical skills courses and Pakistani primary and secondary schools. The arguments are generally well-developed, although some points, such as the claim about students losing interest, could have been elaborated with greater depth or nuance to reach higher band levels. Nevertheless, the task is fully addressed in line with Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Furthermore', 'As a result', 'On the other hand', and 'Consequently'. However, there are occasional instances where referencing and transition could be smoother, such as the repetitive use of 'Due to this' in consecutive sentences within the body paragraphs. Overall, the flow and structure meet the requirements for a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, incorporating terms such as 'extracurricular activities', 'soft skills', 'practical experience', and 'intellect'. There are attempts to use less common items with general awareness of style and collocation, such as 'healthy mindset' and 'loss of education'. However, there are some minor lexical inaccuracies or awkward phrasings, such as 'weak memories' instead of 'memory retention' or 'forgetfulness'. Spelling and word choices are generally acceptable and do not impede communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.5 or 7.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing subordinate clauses effectively with conjunctions like 'because', 'when', and 'although'. There is a good variety of structures, and frequent error-free sentences are produced. However, some minor grammatical errors and slightly unnatural phrasing occur, such as 'forget their class lessons which they studied before the holidays' (redundancy) and occasional preposition or article slips. Punctuation is generally accurate, and control over grammar is sufficient to support clear communication throughout, aligning with the Band 7 descriptors.

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