Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-04

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 a common trend for school children in many countries get long summer vacations. Many educational institiutes remain close during extreme weather conditions like summer. Some people are in favor of these long holidays; however, others consider it unnecessary. In this essay, I will discuss both views and conclude by providing reasons in favor of my argument.

Proponents of one theory claim that extensive school holidays are beneficial, as children get some extra time for additional activities as well. It is significant because many students intend to learn new skills during their summer vacation, which helps them to develop better understanding at a very young age. Provided that a 5th standard student who joins coaching to improve computer skills, will learn more in extended school holidays. Hence, students will be able to explore new activities in spare time.

Conversely, others claim that shorter holidays are a better choice as the students may get more time to complete their course work in schools. It can be attributed to the fact that students will engage in academic activities for longer time which, in result, will improve their concepts and attention span as well. For instance, if a student finds geography difficult, he will have more time to focus on the subject, and he can seek assistance from the teachers as well. Therefore, more study time will eventually result in improved grades.

Although limiting holidays for children will provide some extra time to primary and secondary educational institutes to cover the course work, from my perspective, long vacations are more acceptable as they contribute to the personal development of children. This is because of the availability of sufficient time to learn new skills or courses

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

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, followed by a clear personal stance in the conclusion. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, the paragraph on shorter holidays lacks a fully elaborated real-world outcome beyond general academic improvement. The main position is generally clear throughout, but the depth of support for each main point varies, placing this aspect of the essay firmly within the expected boundaries.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, such as the benefits of extended breaks or the academic advantages of shorter ones. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to connect ideas, such as 'Consequently,' 'Conversely,' and 'Although.' However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or repetitive, showing that it fully satisfies the lower requirements while only partially demonstrating the smoother flow associated with higher band characteristics.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their ideas clearly regarding education and holiday periods. The student attempts less common vocabulary items such as 'proponents,' 'extensive,' and 'personal development,' though there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, alongside a few spelling errors like 'institiutes.' These minor lexical errors do not impede communication, ensuring the vocabulary remains functional and sufficient for a competent response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms throughout the essay, utilizing structures like conditional clauses and subordinate clauses effectively. There are some noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('get long summer vacations') and minor syntactic awkwardness in phrases like 'Provided that a 5th standard student who joins coaching...', but these errors rarely impede communication and do not obscure the intended meaning of the sentences.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.