Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-14

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 many nations, primary and secondary institutions close for two months or more in summer vacation. There are various benefits of long school holidays. Also, people argue in favour of shorter school holidays, which will be discussed in the upcoming paragraphs.

To begin with, one important value of long school holidays is stress relief. Students study continuously over the years and prepare for exams. They prepare for exams by doing a lot of hard work, which leads learners into stress, so long school vacations are important to cope with stress. For example, schools run continuously during the academic year. Therefore, before starting the next academic year, institutions should give a long vacation of up to two months, which is beneficial to give some rest to the mind, which further helps in relieving stress. Moreover, during vacation, learners will play various games with their friends, and they will go on a trip with their family. After vacation, they will come back with a fresh mind, which will improve concentration for the new academic year.

Furthermore, there are arguments in favour of shorter school holidays, such as a few individuals believe that long vacations can distract learners from learning. They believe that students will lose focus on their studies. They feel that shorter school holidays are more beneficial than longer ones. For example, there was a report in a newspaper that after coming back from long vacations, it is hard for learners to recall their learning.

To conclude, there are many benefits of long school holidays, such as it helps learners to get relieve from stress, and students will come back with a fresh mind after vacation. Whereas other people argue that longer vacations can distract learners.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: the first body paragraph explains how a long break can relieve stress and allow students to return refreshed, while the second presents the concern that extended holidays may weaken learning and recall. These are relevant ideas, but the discussion is uneven. The value of holidays is supported with several related points, whereas the case for shorter holidays is mostly asserted; the newspaper report is vague and does not explain why shorter breaks would help students retain knowledge. The conclusion also repeats the main points rather than clarifying the balance between the two views. Develop the shorter-holiday argument with a specific explanation or example, and make the comparison between the benefits and drawbacks clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. Ideas generally progress logically: stress relief leads to rest and recreation, then to improved concentration. Linking expressions such as “To begin with,” “Moreover,” and “To conclude” help guide the reader. This organisation is effective, though some cohesion is mechanical or repetitive, particularly the repeated references to exams, vacations, and learners. The sentence beginning “For example” in the second body paragraph introduces a report but does not connect its claim clearly to the case for shorter holidays. Use more precise referencing and explain the relationship between examples and claims; this would make the progression more flexible and convincing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “stress relief,” “concentration,” “academic year,” and “recall.” However, the range is limited by repeated words and phrases such as “learners,” “vacation,” and “long school holidays.” Some choices are awkward or imprecise: “cope with stress” is less natural in this context than “recover from stress,” and “get relieve from stress” uses the wrong form. “Distract learners from learning” is also vague; a more precise phrase could describe loss of study habits or forgetting previously learned material. Aim for more varied, accurate collocations and avoid repeating the same general terms. These improvements would make your ideas clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “which” and “after,” and most sentences remain understandable. Some grammatical errors occur, but they rarely prevent the reader from following your meaning. For example, “it helps learners to get relieve” has an incorrect verb form, and “a few individuals believe that long vacations can distract learners” is awkwardly structured after “such as.” The sentence beginning “They prepare for exams” repeats the same idea and could be combined more efficiently. There is also some overuse of long sentences joined by “which,” making relationships between ideas less controlled. Practise accurate verb patterns and vary clause structures while keeping sentences clear.

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