Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-06

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 often argued by some people that long school holidays in many countries are very beneficial for the children's development and learning, while some believe that shorter school holidays are much more favorable for children's growth and cognitive development. This essay will discuss both points of view.

On the one hand, the schools that are closed for two months and more may have some advantages, as they provide better opportunities for children to gain extracurricular skills, which will help them to gain valuable skills that are recognized by the industry. For instance, students can learn various computer and interpersonal skills, which help them in future endeavors. Moreover, it gave them a chance to spend valuable time with their family and friends by touring various famous sites with them. It will help them to elevate their emotional attachment with their loved ones.

On the other hand, shorter school holidays have their own benefits, as they enable the students to remain immersed in their studies, which will greatly boost their educational development. Also, this can be very beneficial for them to attend a wide range of activities and events conducted by the school, which help the students to boost their confidence and communication skills. For instance, the speech competition hosted by the school can encourage students to enhance their public speaking and communication skills.

In conclusion, the long school vacations and short school vacations have their own pros and cons. However, long vacations will help the students to strengthen their family bond, while short vacations will help the students to enhance their knowledge.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

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. However, some ideas remain under-developed. For instance, the discussion on extracurricular skills in the second paragraph mentions gaining skills recognized by the industry, but lacks concrete explanation or specific examples of what these industries or skills might be. Similarly, the points regarding emotional attachment and family bonding are stated rather than fully explored with extended reasoning. To reach a higher level, the response needs to provide deeper explanations and fully flesh out each supporting point rather than relying on generalized statements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, successfully dividing the discussion into logical body paragraphs representing each side of the argument. Cohesive devices are employed to structure the response, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader through the text. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel somewhat mechanical. For example, the transition between sentences within the body paragraphs sometimes lacks smooth semantic links, showing a tendency to rely on repetitive transitional patterns. To achieve a stronger flow and progress to the next level, the writer should integrate more varied referencing and subtle cohesive ties that connect ideas seamlessly without drawing mechanical attention to themselves.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'extracurricular', 'interpersonal skills', 'cognitive development', and 'immersed'. Communication is easily maintained throughout the essay. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form. For instance, writing 'help them to gain valuable skills that are recognized by the industry' is slightly repetitive and imprecise, and the phrase 'elevate their emotional attachment' is not entirely natural. Additionally, the verb tense shift seen in 'Moreover, it gave them a chance' disrupts lexical and grammatical harmony. To improve further, the writer should focus on precise collocations and a more varied, natural selection of advanced terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional clauses and subordinate clauses effectively to convey ideas. There is a reasonable level of control over basic punctuation and sentence boundaries, and errors do not impede communication. However, some errors and lapses in grammatical control persist. For instance, there is an inconsistent shift in tense from present to past in the second body paragraph ('Moreover, it gave them a chance'), and minor issues with article usage and prepositions emerge across the text. To attain a higher band, the writer needs to produce a greater proportion of error-free complex sentences and maintain strict consistency in verb tense application.

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