Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

School holidays have long been a subject of discussion, with many counties granting students two month or more of break during the summer. While extended holidays offer certain benefits, there are also compelling arguments in favor of shortening them. This essay will explore the value of long holidays before examining the case for a shorter break.

One major benefit of extended holidays is that they give students the opportunity for a personal growth, allowing them to pursue their hobbies and interests that are often neglected during the hectic school term. Equally, this extended time allows them to take up internships or build new skills, such as a language or short certificate course, which can later enhance their future employability. For instance, a student might use the summer break to intern at a local business, gaining a practical experience well before entering the workforce.

On the other hand, there are plethora of arguments in support of shorter holidays, a position I strongly support. A shorter break still offers students a refresh pause from hectic school routine, allowing them to return with renewed focus and energy. Beyond this, it helps maintain academic continuity, as extended time away from structured learning often leads to knowledge loss, requiring valuable classroom time to be spend on revision rather than new material. As an illustration, teachers often report having spend the first few weeks of a new term simply reviewing material students have forgotten over a long summer break, time that otherwise be used to introduce new topics.

In conclusion. although long holidays offer valuable opportunities for personal growth and skill development, shorter breaks undoubtedly present a strong case for maintaining academic momentum and preventing knowledge loss.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your essay addresses all parts of the prompt well by examining both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones, maintaining a clear position throughout. Your ideas are generally well extended and supported, such as when you discuss personal growth, internships, and the prevention of knowledge loss. However, there is a slight tendency to overgeneralise in places, and some points—such as the benefits of long holidays—could have been explored with even greater depth to push into higher bands. Overall, your approach is focused, relevant, and fully answers the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

Your response demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to the value of long breaks, the counter-arguments for shorter breaks, and a concise conclusion. You use cohesive devices flexibly, such as "While extended holidays offer", "Equally", and "On the other hand". Paragraphing is managed appropriately. To reach an even higher band, you could ensure that cohesive devices are used even more naturally without any slight mechanical feel, and make sure that referencing is consistently tight across all transition points.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate and generally sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as "academic continuity", "employability", and "plethora of arguments". However, there are some occasional word-choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as writing "two month or more of break" instead of months, "a personal growth" with an unnecessary article, "a refresh pause" instead of refreshing, and writing "spend" instead of spent in phrases like "having spend" and "having to be spend". These minor lexical and word-form errors show that you are trying to use advanced language, but they occasionally affect precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating various subordinate clauses effectively. There are several error-free sentences, such as your opening statement and your discussion of knowledge loss. However, a few grammatical errors persist, particularly with verb forms and punctuation, such as the accidental full stop in "In conclusion. although..." and the tense slip in "time that otherwise be used". These errors do not impede communication, placing your grammar control firmly at the level where complex structures are attempted with generally good overall control, though minor slips still occur.

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