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)

It is said that in many countries, primary and secondary schools remain closed for two months or above in the summer holidays. It is my belief that longer holidays are necessary because vacations allow the students to escape the reality and their hectic schedules for a while. But there are some arguments in favour of shorter school holidays. Firstly, this essay will discuss the importance of long school holidays and secondly, the arguments regarding the shorter school holidays.

Long vacations of the primary and secondary schools during summer provides a good opportunity to spend the days in various tourist destination, and it is mostly useful for the international students, who get a chance to go to their own country, spend time with their friends and families. In addition, as the weather of the summer is extremely hot and combines with a scorching heat, students sometimes get sick because of this. As a consequence, many schools close for two months or more in the summer so that they can start their classes once the weather is felt better. For example, in Japan, a large number of primary schools close for two months during summer because they think it would be tough for the children to come to the schools in the hot weather and attend the classes.

However, some countries allow short term vacations because they think that providing a long break will affect the education of the children. In addition, after a long break, it is stressful for some students to come back to the classroom and focus properly, as they were detached from their regular studies for a long time. So many of the primary and secondary schools try to offer a shorter holiday, so that the students can enjoy their vacation and return to their classroom with an energetic vibe. For instance, in Bangladesh, all the primary and secondary schools close upto fifteen days in the summer holidays, because according to both the students and teachers, a short holiday is necessary for not only for relaxation but also for the more concentration after the holidays.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that both of the strategies have some pros and cons, but if we provide the summer holidays by considering the betterment of both the pupils and the instructors, it will be better for all the primary and secondary schools.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones, supported by examples from Japan and Bangladesh. The writer clearly states their position in the introduction and maintains it throughout the essay. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or rely on broad generalisations, such as the claim that vacations allow students to "escape the reality." Furthermore, the phrasing in places lacks precision. Despite these minor limitations, the main task requirements are thoroughly covered, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and overall progression. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the discussion on long holidays, the arguments for short holidays, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as "Firstly," "In addition," "However," and "For instance." Nevertheless, some cohesive referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical or formulaic, particularly the mechanical announcement of the essay structure in the introduction ("Firstly, this essay will discuss..."). Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise. Overall, the structural framework is sound, aligning well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary sufficient for the task. There are attempts to use less common and topic-specific vocabulary, such as "hectic schedules," "tourist destination," "detached," and "instructors." However, there are noticeable instances of awkward word choice, collocation issues, and slightly unnatural phrasing, such as "weather of the summer is extremely hot and combines with a scorching heat," "the weather is felt better," and "for the more concentration." Spelling is generally accurate, but vocabulary limitations and occasional lexical imprecisions prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. The writer attempts complex structures through relative clauses and conditional-like framing, such as "vacations allow the students to escape..." and "if we provide the summer holidays by considering...". However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with prepositions, articles, and word forms (e.g., "close upto fifteen days," "not only for relaxation but also for the more concentration," and "both of the strategies"). While these errors do not impede overall communication, their frequency prevents the attainment of a Band 7.

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