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)

Sure — here is the same essay with **some natural grammar and vocabulary mistakes**, so it looks more like a student-written IELTS essay.

In many countries, schools close for two months or even longer during the summer. While long holidays provides students with opportunities to relax and develop outside the classroom, shorter holidays can help them to maintain academic progress and avoid forgetting what they have learned.

There are several benefits of having long school holidays. Firstly, students need enough time to recover from the pressures of studying, examinations and daily school routines. A lengthy break allow them to relax mentally and spend quality time with their families. Secondly, summer holidays give children an opportunity to participate in activities which may not be possible during the academic year, such as travelling, playing sports, learning new skills or doing creative hobbies. These experiences can contribute to their personal development and independence. Moreover, teachers can also use this period to rest and prepare their lessons for the next academic year.

However, there are also some strong arguments in favour of shorter school holidays. The most important concern is that students may forget some knowledge and skills they learned during the previous term, especially in subjects which require regular practice, such as mathematics and languages. As a result, teachers may have to spend a lot of time reviewing old material when school starts again. Shorter breaks could help students to maintain a regular learning routine. In addition, long holidays can be difficult for working parents, because they may have problems in arranging childcare for their children.

In conclusion, long school holidays provide important opportunities for relaxation, family time and personal development. Nevertheless, shorter holidays can help students retain their academic knowledge and also make life easier for working parents. Therefore, schools should have a balanced holiday schedule which gives students enough rest without causing too much disruption to their education.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by exploring both the value of long school holidays and the arguments for shorter breaks, presenting a clear position throughout. The main ideas are well extended and supported, such as discussing the mental recovery of students alongside the challenges working parents face. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise in parts, such as assuming all subjects require regular practice or that working parents universally struggle with childcare arrangements. To reach a higher band, the arguments could be supported with even deeper analysis or specific examples rather than general statements, though the current level of extension clearly satisfies the requirements of this band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from the introduction to the benefits of long holidays, the counter-arguments for shorter breaks, and a balanced conclusion. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Moreover', and 'However'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately. To achieve the highest band, referencing could be made even more seamless and some transitions could feel slightly less formulaic, but the overall structure is coherent and well-managed.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempts less common lexical items with some success, such as 'personal development', 'academic progress', and 'disruption to their education'. There are occasional word choice and grammatical form slips, such as 'long holidays provides' (agreement error crossing into resource) and minor style issues, but these do not impede communication. To move to a higher band, the student needs to use a wider range of sophisticated and less common vocabulary with greater precision, avoiding occasional repetitive phrasing like 'academic year' and 'long school holidays'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses ('activities which may not be possible') and conditional or concessive structures. There are some minor grammatical errors present, such as 'A lengthy break allow' (subject-verb agreement) and 'problems in arranging' rather than 'problems arranging', but these errors rarely impede communication and do not obscure the meaning. To reach the next band, the student should aim for a higher proportion of error-free sentences when deploying complex grammatical structures and ensure strict vigilance over subject-verb agreement.

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