Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-03

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 6.5)

In many countries, primary and secondary schools have summer breaks lasting two months or even longer. Long school holidays are valuable because they allow students to rest, spent valuable time with families and participate in activities other then classroom. However, shorter holidays can help them to maintain their academic progress and reduce the amount of knowledge they forget during extended breaks.

One major benefit of longer vacations is that they give students sufficient time rest and develop outside their academic environment. After several months of studying, pupils may experience mental fatigue and need a substantial break to recover. Extended vacations also provide opportunities for learners to spend quality time with their relatives, travel, participate valuable educational activities and develop hobbies that may be possible in school term. For example, students can use their holidays to visit relatives, join sports camps, learn a musical instrument or explore historical places, which can contribute to their personal development.

On the other hand, shorter school vacations can help them to maintain their academic performance and learning habits. Longer term may cause students to forget some of knowledge and skills they acqired during previous semesters, particular those subject which need proper practice, such as mathematics and languages. Shorter holidays can reduce this learning loss because students remain engaged with their studies and return to school with less revision required. They can also make transition between academic term easily and help them to maintain consistentdaily routeen. For instance, a student who has a shorter holidays may spend lesser time reviewing basic mathematics and vocabulary after returning to school skills have been practised recently.

In conclusion, long school holidays are valuable because they allow students to recover from educational pressure, spend time with love ones and pursue personal interest. Nevertheless, shorter holidays can help children retain knowledge, maintain study habits and experience a smother changes between school terms.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones, maintaining a clear position throughout. The main ideas are generally relevant and extended, meeting the criteria for solid mid-level performance, yet some aspects exhibit the uneven development characteristic of this level. For instance, while the benefits of long vacations are supported with specific examples like visiting relatives and joining sports camps, the discussion on shorter holidays relies slightly more on general assertions. To move towards higher bands, the student needs to fully develop all parts of the response with equally robust explanations and examples, ensuring every argument is thoroughly explored without leaning on repetitive phrasing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout, with an overall coherent arrangement that makes the writer's stance easy to follow. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, dedicating distinct paragraphs to the introduction, the value of long holidays, the arguments for shorter holidays, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed with reasonable flexibility, such as 'One major benefit', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', guiding the reader smoothly from one point to the next. However, minor referencing issues and slightly mechanical transitions—such as 'For instance, a student who has a shorter holidays'—prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Enhancing the subtlety and variety of cohesive links would further elevate the flow of ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempts less common items, such as 'substantial break', 'mental fatigue', and 'personal development'. There are, however, several word choice, collocation, and word form errors that highlight the boundaries of this level. Examples include 'spent valuable time' instead of 'spend', 'participate valuable educational activities' missing a preposition, 'acqired' with a spelling error, 'particular those subject' with pluralisation issues, and 'smother changes' instead of 'smooth transitions'. Although these lexical slips do not impede overall communication and the meaning remains clear, improving precision in word choice and ensuring accurate word forms are essential for reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writing features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to construct compound and subordinate clauses, such as 'After several months of studying, pupils may experience mental fatigue and need a substantial break to recover.' There are some errors in grammar, punctuation, and article usage, which include missing infinitives ('time rest' instead of 'time to rest'), unnecessary articles ('a shorter holidays'), and minor prepositional inconsistencies. Nevertheless, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to grasp the intended meaning without difficulty. To achieve a higher score, the student should aim to increase the frequency of error-free complex sentences and exercise greater control over grammatical structures and article placement.

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