Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-22

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)

Primary and secondary schools of many countries suspend classes for two months or more during the summer break. While the long term holidays provide time to relax or learn new skills to every student, I believe that there are more benefits of the short term holidays because possibility of wasting time during the long holidays exist.

On one hand, long holidays during the summer protect students from the heat wave and the demographics of people suffering heat stroke reduce. The summer break provides everyone a chance to learn new skill and turns it into the income source to cop with inflation. Long term holidays give time to every student who was exhausted from study, to plan a trip somewhere to relax and chill. For example, most of the students in my country visit their relatives during the holidays.

On the other hand, many children waste their time in the useless activities that could have spent doing something productive. Although a break from study is necessary, it also hinders the completion of the academic responsibilities. As a result, students fall behind in their studies and their final term result gets affected. Schools should adapt to shorter holidays in order to maximize the output of every student along with providing him time to entertain himself. Furthermore, a famous research paper demonstrates that students focus better on their studies after shorter vacation rather than long term holidays.

In conclusion, it is evident that longer holidays entertain everyone to relax and spend more time on recreational activities or spending more free time to learn something new that could be helpful in the career. Conversely, the shorter holidays can help students to study better along with giving them time to relax.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task, examining both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. The writer presents a clear position in the introduction stating that there are more benefits to short-term holidays, and maintains this stance throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as visiting relatives, protecting students from heat waves, and referencing research regarding academic focus. However, some arguments tend to overgeneralise or lack deeper elaboration, which places this response comfortably at Band 6.5 to 7. For instance, the claim that demographics of heat stroke sufferers reduce is somewhat unclear. Overall, the prompt requirements are fully met with a well-structured approach.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Paragraphing is used effectively, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs addressing opposing sides, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Although', and 'Furthermore' are employed to connect ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or formulaic. Referencing and substitution are generally clear, enabling the reader to follow the arguments smoothly. While it demonstrates strong logical sequencing, the overuse of certain repetitive linking phrases prevents it from reaching the higher descriptor bands where cohesion is completely natural and unobtrusive.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common lexical items such as 'demographics', 'academic responsibilities', and 'recreational activities'. However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation throughout the essay. For example, writing 'suspend classes' instead of 'close' is slightly unnatural, and phrases like 'cop with inflation' (cope), 'useless activities', and 'entertain himself' show awkward phrasing and collocation errors. Despite these slips, communication is never impeded, and the vocabulary remains minimally sufficient to convey the intended meaning, aligning with the requirements for Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising structures such as subordinate clauses ('While the long term holidays provide...', 'Although a break from study is necessary...'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings present, including missing articles and prepositions, such as 'possibility of wasting time during the long holidays exist' (should be 'exists') and 'final term result gets affected'. Additionally, phrasing like 'turns it into the income source' lacks necessary articles. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication, and the writer maintains a reasonable degree of control over punctuation and basic grammar, justifying a solid Band 6.0.

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

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