Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

In many countries, school provides students with summer holidays lasting two months or even longer. While these extended breaks can provide several benefits for pupils, there is also strong arguments for reducing the length of school holidays. This essay will discuss both views.

One major advantage of long school holidays is that they give students enough time to relax and recover after a demanding academic year. Studing continusely can be tiring, and a long break allows children to relax and spend there quality time with their families. In addition, student can use this time period to participate in activities which are quite difficult to do during the school year such as playing sports, traveling and learning new skills. For instance, children visit relatives in another city during their summer vacation. Which can provide a valuable experience outside classrooms.

On the other hand, shorter school holidays have several advantages. Firstly, students are less likely to forget what they have learned if the break is shorter. After several months away from school, children may need considerable time to remember academic concepts and return to their previous learning routine. Shorter breaks could therefore help maintain continuity in education. Secondly, shorter holidays may be more convenient for parents beacuse they might struggle to find childcare for their childrens. Regular school can make easier for parients to fullfill their families responsibilities and manage their work.

In conclusion, long school holidays give students an opportunity to rest, devoted time with their families and experience an outside activities. However, shorter holidays can help students maintain their academic knowledge and reduce childcare difficulties for parents. Therefore, both approaches have clear benefits, depending on the needs of students and families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the value of long school holidays and the arguments in favour of shorter ones, maintaining a clear overall position. The ideas are generally relevant, but there is a tendency for some points to remain slightly under-developed rather than fully extended. For instance, while the benefits of rest and the convenience for working parents are introduced, the elaboration relies on straightforward examples rather than deeper exploration. To move to a higher level, the response would need to flesh out these supporting points with more thorough explanations and fully realized implications.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout, showing a coherent overall arrangement. Information and ideas are linked effectively using standard cohesive devices such as 'while these extended breaks', 'in addition', and 'on the other hand'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each main idea assigned to its own distinct paragraph. Referencing is generally clear, though minor mechanical usage of cohesive ties occasionally appears. To achieve an even higher band, cohesion would need to be applied with greater flexibility and subtlety, ensuring seamless transitions between every single sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their ideas clearly regarding school holidays. There are attempts to use less common lexical items, such as 'demanding academic year', 'maintain continuity', and 'academic concepts', showing some awareness of topic-specific vocabulary. However, there are notable spelling and word-form errors that prevent a higher score, including 'Studing', 'continusely', 'there' instead of 'their', 'beacuse', 'childrens', and 'parients'. Word choice is generally appropriate, but these recurring slips mean the lexical control sits firmly at the current level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting varied structures such as relative clauses ('activities which are quite difficult to do') and conditional or temporal framing. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as a sentence fragment ('Which can provide a valuable experience outside classrooms.') and occasional article or preposition oversights. However, these errors rarely impede communication and the basic meaning remains clear throughout. To reach the next level, the writer would need to produce a much higher proportion of error-free complex sentences and display tighter control over punctuation.

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