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 contemporary society, primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays to improve the learners overall well-being, whereas shorter holidays are also significant in boosting their academic performance.

Long holidays that last for two months or more can help learners to relax mentally by reducing stress that might have been caused by classroom environment. This is because students can have enough time to work on their hobies and other activities away from studies. Such activities can help them to re-energise, and others can be a good source of entertainment. For instance, students who like swimming can enjoy their hobby during long holidays. This can ultimately improve their overal well-being leading to a better quality of life and contributing to the long-term development of society.

Nevertheless, it would be unrealistic to overlook the fact that shorter breaks are also crucial for their studies. This is due to the fact that these breaks may improve their concentation in class. Consider learners taking an exam for more than one month, if they are given a break before embarking on their studies, it is likely that they may concentrate better. As a result, short holidays, may bring significant positive changes, benefiting learners academically, which may improve their performance in school.

To conclude, although in many countries, primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays to boost the learners well-being, shorter school holidays are also significant in improving learners concentration and academic performance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses both parts of the task by discussing the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. The position is clear throughout the essay, beginning with the introduction and maintaining relevance in each body paragraph. For the value of long holidays, the student provides the example of reducing stress and pursuing hobbies such as swimming. For shorter holidays, the argument focuses on improving concentration and academic performance. While the ideas are relevant and supported, some points could have been extended further with additional concrete examples or deeper explanation to reach higher band levels. Nevertheless, all prompt requirements are adequately covered, fulfilling the criteria for Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'This is because', 'For instance', 'Nevertheless', and 'To conclude'. However, paragraphing and referencing are occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between sentences could be smoother to avoid a repetitive structural pattern. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the two main prompt questions. Overall progression is clear, though some cohesive relationships feel formulaic rather than flexible. This places the performance solidly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-related terms such as 'well-being', 'academic performance', 're-energise', and 'concentation' (with a minor spelling slip). There are occasional spelling and lexical errors, such as 'hobies' instead of 'hobbies' and 'overal' instead of 'overall'. Less common lexical items are attempted, but precision and collocation are sometimes inconsistent. Despite these flaws, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly without impeding the reader, aligning well with the descriptors for Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including relative clauses ('students who like swimming can enjoy their hobby') and conditional structures. However, there are noticeable grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text. For instance, there is a comma splice in the third paragraph ('Consider learners taking an exam for more than one month, if they are given a break...'), and missing commas or incorrect punctuation appear elsewhere. While errors exist, they rarely impede communication, and the writer demonstrates control over basic sentence structures alongside attempts at complex forms, justifying a Band 6.0 score.

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

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