Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-26

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 in many countries provide extended summer breaks to students. While these breaks serve as a resting period where students can work on themselves, a number of individuals argue that this should not be the case. Shorter school holidays, many people believe, are the optimum way of relaxing and maintaining study routine.

A number of schools adopt the idea that long summer breaks are a necessity. Long summer breaks serve as a time where a student can work on themselves and explore more about what they are, and what they want to be. Average school routines around the world is quite tough and demands a lot. The focus of a student is entirely on what is being taught. These breaks help to take the pressure off the students, and they can focus on things other than study. The weather can also play a role in many countries where summer holidays are necessary as this could lead to a number of health concerns. For example, schools in South Korea adopt this strategy where they give ample time to students in the form of summer holidays to explore, as their everyday life in schools is quite hectic.

On the other hand, there is a strategy adopted by many schools where holidays are cut short. It is believed in many school systems that schools should provide the kind of environment to its pupils that helps them with their personal development. In many countries around the world it is believed that a student should be given enough free time in school rather than leaving school entirely for holidays for long periods of time. This disrupts the connection of students with study entirely. Administration of schools should strategize their everyday routine to give ample free time in schools, and that should serve as a driver for exploring and would also maintain a routine where studies would not be compromised. In Japan, this ideology is followed as students spend long periods in schools but are not mentally affected as they are provided with enough free time.

To conclude, long school holidays have their own benefits like providing students with ample time to explore and rest for the summer break. But strategic short breaks can also serve these purposes, without any compromise to a student’s study routine. Both arrangements therefore offer distinct benefits.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt effectively. You clearly discuss the value of long school holidays, pointing out benefits such as rest, personal exploration, and relief from the intense pressure of everyday school routines. Furthermore, you examine arguments in favour of shorter holidays, highlighting how shorter breaks can maintain study routines and foster continuous personal development. Your position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are generally well-extended with relevant examples, such as referencing South Korea and Japan, though some arguments in the second body paragraph tend to repeat the idea of giving free time rather than focusing purely on shorter holiday lengths. Overall, the task is successfully and thoroughly addressed, fitting comfortably into the Band 7 criteria.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression from the introduction through the body paragraphs to the conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct central theme: the value of long holidays, the arguments for shorter holidays, and a summary. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well, using transitional phrases such as 'On the other hand' and 'To conclude'. However, some referencing is slightly repetitive, and certain transitions feel a bit mechanical. For instance, the transition between ideas within the second body paragraph could be smoother to avoid slight choppiness. Nevertheless, the overall flow of information is clear and easy to follow, aligning well with the expectations of Band 6.5 to 7.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate to good range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, attempting less common items such as 'optimum', 'ideology', and 'personal development'. There are, however, some slight inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as saying 'Average school routines around the world is quite tough' (where 'are' should be used, or 'The average school routine') and 'disrupts the connection of students with study entirely'. Vocabulary is generally sufficient to allow flexibility and precision, but occasional awkward phrasing prevents it from reaching higher bands. Spelling and word choice errors do not impede communication, placing your lexical performance solidly at Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied clause structures. You successfully construct complex sentences using subordinating conjunctions like 'while' and 'where'. However, there are several grammatical errors and instances of faulty agreement. For example, 'Average school routines around the world is quite tough' has a subject-verb agreement error. Additionally, phrases like 'explore more about what they are' feel slightly unnatural in English grammar. Punctuation is generally fine, but the frequency of minor grammatical slips means that error-free sentences are not in the majority. These errors rarely impede communication, which reflects the characteristics of Band 6.0.

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