Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17

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)

In many countries, school holidays are extended in summer for two months or even more. While long holidays have various benefits, some people argue that shorter holidays would be more beneficial for educational and social reasons.

One of the significant benefits of long school holidays is that they recharge their mind to acquire knowledge because they spend the whole year learning various academic chapters. If they don't refresh their brain, it may put pressure on their learning. For instance, learners can go to recreational activities during the long holidays that help them get ready for the following classes learning. In addition, students can spend quality time with their family that may help them to make a strong family bond. It is equally important to learn and make a strong bond with parents. So people could visit tourist places that strengthen family bonding as well as refresh students' minds, that assist them in being prepared for the upcoming year.

On the other hand, there are some arguments in favour of shorter school holidays. One crucial concern is that long holidays may hamper children's educational performance in what they learnt in the previous year. Consequently, teachers may need to spend considerable time revising the same lessons. Moreover, schools could arrange study tours to refresh students' minds. Another argument is that extended holidays can cause difficulties for working parents who work long hours. They have to hire a childcare assistant to carefully look after their children.

In conclusion, longer school holidays have significant merits, including mind refresh, recreational activities, and family bonding. However, supporters of shorter holidays have some logical arguments. The most suitable approach may depend on individual students and society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses both parts of the prompt, exploring both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. The writer's position is clear throughout the essay. Ideas are generally well-developed and supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning how recreational activities and family bonding help refresh students' minds, and how working parents face childcare difficulties during extended breaks. However, some arguments, such as the mention of study tours in the counter-argument paragraph, feel slightly disjointed or under-developed within the immediate context. Overall, all requirements of the task are covered adequately, aligning well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile. Because of the clear engagement with all parts of the prompt and logical extension of ideas, a band score of 6.5 is awarded.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: an introduction, the benefits of long holidays, the arguments for shorter holidays, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'While', 'One of the significant benefits', 'In addition', 'On the other hand', and 'Consequently' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately. While referencing is generally clear, occasional mechanical transitions or slightly repetitive phrasing prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Overall, the structural progression is logical and easy to follow, making Band 6.5 a fair reflection of the coherence and cohesion demonstrated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'recreational activities', 'educational performance', 'childcare assistant', and 'family bonding'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices and collocations feel slightly unnatural or repetitive, such as 'mind refresh' in the conclusion and 'following classes learning'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication. The lexical resource demonstrates sufficient flexibility for the requirements of an academic essay, justifying a solid band score of 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating subordinating clauses effectively using words like 'while', 'if', and 'that'. There are numerous error-free sentences, showing good control of basic grammar. However, a few grammatical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings persist, such as pronoun antecedent confusion ('recharge their mind to acquire knowledge because they spend the whole year learning') and repetitive structures in the concluding remarks. These errors rarely impede communication and do not obscure the meaning of the arguments presented. Consequently, the performance sits comfortably at a band score of 6.0.

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