Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-13

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)

In numerous countries, primary and secondary schools remain closed for two months or more in summer holidays, which has sparked considerable debate about the ideal duration of school breaks. Although extended breaks allow students to recuperate and devote meaningful times to their families, shorter intervals may enable them to sustain academic continuity more effectively. Overall, I contend that, despite the considerable personal advantages associated with lengthy holidays, shorter and more frequent breaks are ultimately more conductive to students educational development.

Long holidays offer several benefits, particulary in terms of students mental well-being and family relationship.Firslty, they allow children to relax and recover from the stress pf studying. As a result, students can returned to the school refreshed and motivated. Secondly, these holidays give families an oppurtunity to travel together and spend quality time with each other. For example, parents can take their childrens on trip to different places, helping them learn about new cultures and experiences.

On the other hand, shorter holidays also have advantages. The main benefit is that students can maintain their learning habits and remember what they have studied. Long breaks may cause students to forget important information. Moreover, shorter holidays allow schools to complete their syllabuses.

In conclusion, long holidays are valuable because they support relaxation, family time and personal development, whereas shorter holidays help students to maintain their academic progress. A balanced holiday schedule can help student to overcome from academic progress and they can also enjoy quality times with their families and makes memories

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AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both questions and gives a clear overall view: long breaks support wellbeing and family time, while shorter breaks help maintain learning. The introduction and conclusion reinforce this comparison, and the example of travelling to learn about other cultures is relevant. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the benefits of long holidays receive a little explanation, whereas the case for shorter holidays is mostly asserted. For instance, the point that students may forget information could be supported with an example or explanation of how shorter breaks prevent this. The claim that schools can complete their syllabuses also needs clarification. Develop each main point with a reason and a specific illustration to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two positions, and a conclusion. The progression from the value of long holidays to arguments for shorter ones is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “On the other hand” help guide the reader. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent overall arrangement and shows some of the clearer progression associated with a stronger performance. However, the linking is somewhat mechanical, and the final sentence introduces ideas awkwardly rather than bringing the comparison to a clear close. Some connections between claims also need fuller explanation. Use a wider range of natural transitions and ensure each paragraph develops one connected line of reasoning.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is adequate vocabulary for discussing the topic, including “academic continuity,” “recuperate,” “quality time,” and “learning habits.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and the response attempts some less common expressions. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, such as “particulary,” “oppurtunity,” and “conductive” where “conducive” is intended. Some phrases are also unnatural or unclear, including “meaningful times to their families” and “overcome from academic progress.” These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the general argument, but they show that collocation and word forms are not consistently controlled. Check spelling carefully and learn common word partnerships, especially when expressing educational benefits and family relationships.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a concessive opening with “Although” and a contrast introduced by “whereas.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors appear in verb forms, agreement, plurals, and sentence construction. Examples include “students can returned” instead of “students can return,” “their childrens,” and “help student to overcome from.” The final sentence also has an unclear structure, with several ideas joined without a clear grammatical relationship. Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent in places, such as the missing space after “relationship.” Practise checking subject–verb agreement, modal verb patterns, and plural forms, then proofread longer sentences to ensure their clauses connect clearly.

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