Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-19

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, schools provide students with a long summer holidays of two months or more. While these holidays have several benefits for children, some people believe that shorter holidays are more useful. This essay will discuss the value of long school holidays and the areguments in favour of shorter holidays.

There are severral benefits of having long school holidays. Initially, students need enough time to rest after studying for many months. A long break allows them to relax and return to school with more energy and concentration. In addition, children can spend more quality with their families during this period. They can also take part in sports, travel to different places or develop their hobbies. For instance, students can do short courses of computer and can gain skills which helps them in future to build their career.

On the other hand, shorter school holidays can also have important advantages. The main benefit is that students can maintain their study routine and are less likely to forget what they have learned. After a very long break, some children may need considerable time to become familiar with their lessons again. Moreover, shorter holidays can provide more continuous lerning throughout the year, which may help students make excellent academic progress.

In conclusion, long school holidays give students valuable time to rest, spend time with their families and enjoy different activities. However shorter holidays can help students maintain their learning routine and avoid forgetting important knowledge. Therefore, both types of holidays have their own benefits.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task fully, discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. The student maintains a clear position throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported appropriately, such as mentioning how children can develop hobbies, travel, or do short computer courses to build future careers. Similarly, the arguments for shorter holidays regarding study routines and continuous learning are adequately developed. Although some ideas could be explored in even greater depth to reach the highest bands, the response successfully meets all requirements of Task Achievement. Therefore, a solid band score is warranted for fully covering both prompts with relevant and coherent examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are grouped effectively into four paragraphs, following a standard introduction, two body paragraphs addressing each prompt, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used adequately to connect ideas, such as "Initially," "In addition," "On the other hand," and "In conclusion." Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring that each paragraph has a central topic. While some referencing and transitions are slightly mechanical rather than entirely seamless, the overall progression is clear, easy to follow, and effectively guides the reader from the introduction through the balanced body paragraphs to the final summary.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as "concentration," "continuous learning," and "academic progress." However, there are a few spelling and typographical errors, such as "holidays of" (redundant article or plural mismatch in "a long summer holidays"), "areguments" instead of arguments, and "severral" instead of several. Word choices are generally appropriate and communication is never impeded. To achieve a higher band score, the student would need to use a wider range of sophisticated, uncommon lexical items with greater precision and completely avoid spelling slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over standard structures like conditional-like clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., "While these holidays have several benefits for children, some people believe that shorter holidays are more useful"). There are some noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation, including the spelling error "lerning" and minor prepositional or article issues (e.g., "spend more quality with their families" missing a noun like 'time', and "courses of computer"). Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, and the majority of simple sentences are clear and well-formed, allowing the reader to follow the arguments without difficulty.

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

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