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 most of the countries, Schools allow summer holidays for the pupils which can last for two months or more. Extended school holidays allow students to learn different skills and activities which can be beneficial for them in the near future. According to my perspective, schools should consider giving shorter holidays to reduce costs related to summer camps and avoid re-teaching.

Firstly, Long summer holidays allow students to engage in meaningful activities and learning new talents. For instance, a child who is interested in dance can join dancing classes during the summer break. Moreover, summer breaks allow childern to visit their loved ones and go on a vacation with their family to enjoy without having any academic pressure. Furthermore, pupils can join different summer camps which conduct different learning activities and academic workshops so they donot completely forget the important concepts.

Coversely, some people argue that the schools should provide shorter summer breaks to reduce excessive financial burden placed on parents in order to pay for the summer camps. Another significant reason is that by providing short holidays schools can avoid the issue associated with re-teaching. For instance, students with weak memory are more likely to forget previous important concepts of maths and science which would require quite alot of effort from the teachers to explain the concepts again. Moreover, childern can return easily to school without feeling dysregulated and hard to adapt back to old normal routine.

To put it in a nutshell, long school breaks can offer childern with quite alot of time to learn different skills and enjoy a good quality with their loved ones; However, I believe giving shorter breaks can help mitigate problems related to the knowledge retention and financial costs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

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 position throughout. The writer's ideas are extended and supported, such as mentioning dancing classes and the financial burden of summer camps. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise in certain sections, and some arguments are slightly more developed than others, which prevents the response from achieving a higher rating. Overall, the prompt requirements are fully met with relevant and developed ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The writer effectively uses cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'Conversely' to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with distinct paragraphs for the introduction, the value of long holidays, the counter-arguments for shorter holidays, and the conclusion. Although referencing is occasionally a bit mechanical, the overall arrangement remains coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'dysregulated', 'knowledge retention', and 'financial burden'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, form, and spelling, such as 'childern' instead of 'children', 'Coversely' instead of 'Conversely', and the awkward phrase 'learning new talents'. These minor lexical errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a typical standard where the vocabulary control is sufficient rather than fully precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use varied structures. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('In most of the countries' should be 'In most countries'), redundant words ('donot completely forget'), and minor punctuation slips like the semicolon placement in the conclusion. Nonetheless, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to easily grasp the intended meaning.

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