Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-02

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 most countries, primary and secondary schools shut down for two months or more in the summer vacation. Although a longer break accounts for disruption in the working arrangements for parents, long school holidays are vital because children can have more time to relax and spend on leisure activities. This essay will discuss the importance of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter school holidays.

To begin with, longer school breaks provide children sufficient time to relax from the busy routine of school. Children can spend their time learning different activities in the holidays without being stressed about completing their homework, which leads to children becoming more creative and confident. Children also get more playtime in holidays, and they become more stronger physically. For example, a survey conducted in India, showed that children who have longer school breaks learned new skills and become physically fit and also learned and revised the syllabus quickly when they return to school after their holidays. Therefore, longer

holidays leads to creativity and productivity.

On the other hand, a longer break results in the disruption in the working arrangements of parents. If both the parents are working, it is difficult for them to keep an eye on their child, and they also cannot take leave every other day from their work, which results in stressful situations and financial burden on parents. For example, parents have to send their children to childcare, which is expensive and put financial strain on the parents. Therefore, shorter breaks could make it easier to manage the childcare and parents can spend time with children without any stress.

In conclusion, although longer school holidays help children to build new skills, parents face some challenges in managing their children's break time and making it more enjoyable.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

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, maintaining a clear position throughout. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others, which is typical of this level. For instance, the discussion on children becoming more creative and confident lacks specific support beyond a general statement, whereas the counterargument regarding working parents and childcare expenses is slightly more concrete. To reach a higher level, all main ideas would need to be thoroughly extended and supported with fully articulated reasoning and examples rather than relying on general assertions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Information and ideas are logically sequenced, moving from the benefits of long holidays in the second paragraph to the drawbacks and arguments for shorter breaks in the third. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are employed to guide the reader, although some referencing and cohesion feel slightly mechanical. To move further up, the essay could benefit from more flexible and seamless transitions between sentences, avoiding repetitive structural patterns at the start of paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate ideas clearly regarding school holidays and working parents. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary and phrases, such as 'working arrangements', 'financial burden', and 'childcare', though some word choices and collocations lack precision or contain minor errors, such as 'more stronger' instead of 'stronger' or 'much stronger', and 'leads to creativity' where a plural or alternative phrasing might fit better. Spelling and word choice errors do not impede communication. Incorporating more precise and sophisticated academic collocation would elevate the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional clauses ('If both the parents are working...') and subordinate clauses effectively. There are some grammatical errors present, such as article usage ('in holidays' instead of 'during the holidays') and subject-verb agreement or tense shifts ('holidays leads to', 'showed that children... learned... and become'), but these errors rarely impede communication and do not obscure the meaning. The punctuation is generally handled well. A wider variety of fully controlled complex structures with fewer minor slips would be needed to reach the next band.

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