Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-29

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)

Schools are very important in shaping the future of any country. Apart from the basic education extra-curricular activities are also crucial for the health growth of society.

Long school holidays are the need of the hour in some countries. Those countries usually expereince high temperature in summers ranging from 40 degree centigrade to above 50. In this context. if schools remain open then there is a chance that children will likely to face sever heat waves which results in loss of senses and even death. It is observed that in Pakistan in year 2024. 2000 people loss their lives due to extreme summers.

Moreover, parents can let their kids enroll in extra curricular activities such as swimming and many other indoor games which do not require frequent travel and outside exposure. Furthermore, during these holidays guardians can plan holidays to different places and meet ups where their kids can enjoy the nature and beauty of this world.

Contrary to this, short holidays are also vital because due to these pupils still remain in touch with their studies for a longer period of time and with better focus as compared to long holidays. Schools let their studnets to remain in touch with their friend and learn new things on daily basis.

In conclusion, announcement of holidays long or short should be depend on temperature and climate calling of that specific area keeping in mind all the pros and cons of holidays.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the value of long holidays such as avoiding extreme heat and allowing travel, as well as the arguments in favour of shorter holidays like continuous academic contact. However, the word count is 240 words, which falls short of the mandatory 250-word minimum. This under-length impacts the full development of ideas, resulting in a mild penalty for Task Achievement. The student attempts to provide supporting examples, such as mentioning temperatures in Pakistan, but the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed due to the brevity of the response. To reach a higher band, the student must expand their arguments with more comprehensive explanations and ensure the minimum word requirement is fully met.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a recognisable overall structure with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing each side of the prompt, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is attempted, though some paragraphs are quite brief. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Contrary to this' are used to connect ideas, although referencing and linking can sometimes feel mechanical or slightly repetitive. There is a clear logical progression overall, but the abrupt transitions and short paragraph lengths prevent the essay from achieving higher bands in cohesion. More seamless integration of ideas and a wider variety of cohesive relationships would improve this score.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts at less common items such as 'extra-curricular activities', 'severe heat waves', and 'indoor games'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('expereince', 'sever', 'loss' instead of 'lost', 'studnets') and minor word choice inaccuracies ('climate calling', 'announcement of holidays... should be depend'). These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6.0. To improve, the student needs to demonstrate greater control over less common lexical items and pay closer attention to spelling and accurate collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures often contain errors. For instance, the sentence 'In this context. if schools remain open then there is a chance that children will likely to face sever heat waves which results in loss of senses' contains punctuation errors (a stray full stop) and awkward phrasing ('will likely to face' and 'results' instead of 'result'). Another structural error appears in the conclusion: 'announcement of holidays long or short should be depend on'. While many sentences can be understood, frequent grammatical inaccuracies in verb tenses, prepositions, and clause structures place this response firmly in the Band 5.5 category.

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

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