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)

In many countries, schools give primary and secondary students a summer break of two months or more. While long hoildays allow children to spend time with their families and for other activities, shorter holidays can help them maintain their academic progress and regular study routine.

On the one hand, long break from schools in summer can help students to spend more time with their loved ones and also help them to engage in different ativities. Nowadays, students get so busy with their studies and can barely spend time with their parents which are causing several issues, such as they may not be able to share their problems with their parents or express their feelings. Also, they may not be able to give time to their hobbies and activites that they enjoy doing. For example, due to the advancement of technology, education has become much difficult than previous years and students have to pay more attention on their study which lead them to give up their dreams. Long holidays help them to achieve their dreams while maintaining their academic progress.

On the other hand, shorter holiday can help them to stay consistent with their studies. Many parents think longer holiday as a loss of children' studies. According to parents, students may forget what they have studied at school during such a long break and after holidays, most students start procrastinating in their studies. Shorter break from school helps them to maintain their daily study routine. For instance, studies show that if a human do some activties for 21 days, their mind and body may get used to it. In the same way, spending time at home for two months or more may affect the students' academic progress.

In conclusion, Although longer holidays have many benefits, such as allowing students to spend time with their friends and loved ones, they can also slow down their academic progress.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are generally well developed, such as explaining how long holidays allow children to bond with their parents and pursue hobbies, while shorter holidays help maintain academic consistency and routines. However, there are minor instances where ideas could be extended further with more precise real-world examples rather than generalisations. For instance, the reference to studying for 21 days to form a habit is a bit colloquial. Nonetheless, the task is fully addressed, satisfying the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression from introduction to body paragraphs and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt (the value of long holidays versus shorter ones). Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Also', and 'For instance' are used to guide the reader through the arguments, though referencing and linking can occasionally feel slightly mechanical. For example, the concluding sentence is somewhat abrupt and does not fully summarise the second body paragraph's arguments regarding shorter holidays. Overall, the organizational structure meets the requirements of a Band 6.5 to 7.0, aligning best with Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with attempts to use less common items and topical phrases such as 'maintain their academic progress', 'procrastinating in their studies', and 'advancement of technology'. However, there are some noticeable vocabulary and spelling errors, such as 'hoildays' instead of holidays, and slight awkwardness in phrasing like 'education has become much difficult than previous years' instead of 'much more difficult'. There are also minor repetitive uses of words like 'activities' and 'studies'. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising subordinate clauses effectively in sentences such as 'While long holidays allow children to spend time with their families... shorter holidays can help them maintain their academic progress.' There are several grammatical errors present, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('if a human do some activties') and preposition choices ('attention on their study' instead of 'studies'). Punctuation is generally fine, but articles and pluralisation slip occasionally ('longer holiday as a loss of children' studies'). Because the errors do not impede overall communication and a mix of structures is present, this corresponds to a Band 6.

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