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 the different regions of the world, elementary and high schools shutdown temporarily for an eight week hiatus. Long school holidays provide essential physical and mental health recovery for students after an intense academic year, while offering a valuable time period for personal growth. However proponents of shorter school holidays argue that spreading rest period more evenly throughout the year improves academic performance, supports working families, and ensures children's well-being.

In many counties of the world, junior and senior high schools become inactive in studies for two to three months in summer. This period of time provided by the schools is very essential for both physical and mental health for students after an overwhelming academic year. Students and teachers escape burnout by unwinding away from strict daily routines and academic pressure.  The eight or more weeks time given by the schools helps students in personal growth, allows children to explore new hobbies, practice sports, or learn life skills outside the classroom, with the help of this provided time period, families can travel, visit relatives and spend quality time together to build lasting memories. In regions with extreme summer heat waves and limited cooling infrastructure, extended breaks protect students from heat-related illnesses. For instance, a study by the American psychological association (APA) found that teenage report stress levels during the school year that far exceed what they believe to be healthy, often mirroring adult stress level. A long summer holiday acts as a crucial reset button.

On the other hand, proponents of shorter school holidays argue that reducing the length of summer holidays prevents the learning loss. When students are far away from school for months at a time, they often experience a summer slide forgetting key concepts in math and reading. These two months become a challenge for the working families because they have to supervise their children while doing work. For instance a study shows that an average student losses school gains roughly around 20% in reading and 27% in math. By shortening the summer holidays, schools can maintain a continues learning rhythm

In conclusion, while long summer holidays are essential for mental and physical health, they also lead to significant learning loss and disrupt academic momentum.

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 position is clear throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning the American Psychological Association (APA) and specific statistics regarding learning loss (20% in reading and 27% in math). The student covers the physical and mental recovery aspects as well as family time, while balancing this against the 'summer slide' and challenges for working parents. Although the conclusion is a bit abrupt, the overall task fulfillment meets the criteria for Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs addressing each prompt question, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used throughout, such as 'In many counties', 'For instance', and 'On the other hand'. However, paragraphing could be better managed, as the conclusion is left as a single incomplete sentence rather than a fully developed paragraph. Referencing is generally clear, though some transitional links feel slightly mechanical. Overall, the text flows with reasonable coherence, earning a Band 6.5, rounded to 6.0 based on the underdeveloped conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'hiatus', 'burnout', 'infrastructure', and 'learning rhythm'. Less common lexical items are attempted, although there are minor word choice and spelling errors, such as 'shutdown' used as a noun where 'shut down' or 'shutdowns' is needed, 'counties' instead of 'countries', 'teenage report' instead of 'teenagers report', and 'losses' instead of 'loses'. Despite these slips, meaning is never obscured, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey complex ideas, placing it comfortably in the Band 6 territory.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional structures. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, such as missing articles ('the American psychological association'), pluralization issues ('adult stress level'), and comma splices or run-on tendencies. For instance, the sentence 'with the help of this provided time period, families can travel...' links clauses improperly. Nevertheless, the majority of sentences are understandable, and complex structures are attempted with varying success. This performance fits the Band 6 descriptor well.

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

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