Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-23

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)

Many schools around the world, have inculcated summer vacations in their curriculums, reulting in a break from school. While this can have potential benefits for pupils in the context of having additional time to pursue their hobbies and be able to relax themselves. This essay will discuss the advantages of both long and short summer breaks.

On the one hand, having a longer summer vacations have numerous benefits. Firstly, it allows learners to take a break from their academic workload and stress. Students undergo myriad of challenges throughout, dealing with exams, assignments and projects. Longer breaks facilitate pupils to de-stress themselves, giving them time to hone their talents, for example, taking a painting or a pottery class rejunuvates the mind and improve their additional skills or learning a new language, which proves to be quite advantageous both in personal and professional life. Moreover, these holidays can be used for trips with families and friends to explore new places and bring significant experiences from there or visiting relatives which helps to foster family connections which is essential for community building on societal level.

On the other hand, shorter summer vacations have a positive aspect as well. Longer summer holidays breaks the continuinty of academic learning. On the contrary, shorter holidays allows the students to have break from monotonous daily routines but at the same time doesnt make a student unproductive or lethargic due to longer holidays. Furthermore, there are few learners who are academically weaker and find a particular subject arduous, these shorter summer vacations can be used as a time to bridge the gap between them and high acheivers. Short breaks can be used as a time, to put extra effort and

strengthen their weaknesses by enrolling in a tuition class or coaching institutes.

In conclusion, vacations are an indespensable component of schooling due to tiring routines and help students freshen themselves. However, longer and shorter breaks both have merits depending on particularly how a pupil decides to avail their time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The student addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. The position is clear throughout the response, and the ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as taking a pottery class or enrolling in tuition classes for weaker students. However, the introduction contains a sentence fragment ('While this can have potential benefits... This essay will discuss...') which slightly weakens the overall directness of the opening position. Despite minor structural issues, the content adequately covers all task requirements and aligns well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay is clearly organised with a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately, dividing the response into a clear introduction, two body paragraphs focusing on opposing viewpoints, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are generally used effectively, such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty, as seen in minor mechanical errors and awkward transitions, including 'Longer summer holidays breaks the continuinty of academic learning. On the contrary, shorter holidays allows...'. These minor lapses prevent the essay from reaching a higher band score, placing it comfortably at Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'inculcated', 'indespensable', 'rejunuvates', and 'arduous'. However, there are notable spelling errors and lexical inaccuracies throughout the text, including 'reulting' instead of 'resulting', 'continuinty' instead of 'continuity', and spelling mistakes in 'rejunuvates' (rejuvenates), 'acheivers' (achievers), and 'indespensable' (indispensable). While communication is not impeded by these slips, the frequency of spelling errors prevents the lexical resource from achieving a Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The student attempts various complex structures, but these are occasionally marred by grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('shorter holidays allows') and sentence fragments in the introduction ('While this can have potential benefits for pupils in the context of having additional time to pursue their hobbies and be able to relax themselves.'). Punctuation and comma splices also occur occasionally. Nevertheless, the meaning remains clear throughout, and the control of grammar is sufficient to meet the Band 6 descriptors.

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

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