Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15

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)

There is a trend of long summer vacations in primary and secondary schools in many countries. Long vacations can give students more time to enjoy themselves and they can also learn more skills in that time rather than just focusing on studies. While some people argue that long breaks from school can make students less productive and loose their motivation for studies.

Long vacations, on one hand are beneficial. They give some time to students and even parents to get some break from school lives before the start of new session. During these months, students can get more time for learning new skills such as swimming and pottery which are not included in course work. Consequently, longer vacations make students more productive and help them to make their lives more enjoyable. Some can go on a long tour with their families which they can’t plan during their school days as they get only one day off.

While on the other hand, some people believe that shorter school vacations are better. This is due to reason that having a long break from studies can shift student’s mind from their course work and they have to focus more on their subjects afterwards. Students lack the motivation and energy needed for the study as they get a long time to relax. And it becomes difficult for them get back to their routines and make them score less.

In conclusion, I would say that although longer summer break give students more time to enjoy and relax but their focus and attention are shifted which can have bad impact on their results.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions: the first body paragraph explains benefits such as learning swimming or pottery and travelling with family, while the next presents the case for shorter breaks by describing lost study motivation and difficulty returning to routines. Your overall view is also apparent, especially in the conclusion, which recognises both enjoyment and possible effects on results. This is relevant coverage, but the two sides are not developed equally: the benefits are supported with concrete examples, whereas the argument for shorter holidays is mostly asserted. Explain more precisely how shorter, more frequent breaks could preserve learning or help students maintain routines, and qualify broad claims such as students scoring less. This would make the response more fully developed and balanced.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two positions, and a conclusion. The progression from benefits to drawbacks is easy to follow, and signposts such as “on one hand” and “In conclusion” help identify the stages of the argument. However, some linking is mechanical or awkward, particularly “While on the other hand,” and the opening sentence of the final body paragraph repeats the contrast rather than developing a clear transition. Some references are also imprecise: “that time” and “their focus and attention” could be made more specific. Use a wider range of natural links and connect each explanation directly to its supporting example to make the flow smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “course work,” “motivation,” “productive,” and “routines,” and the examples of “swimming and pottery” make the discussion concrete. Meaning is generally clear, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. For example, “school lives” is unnatural in this context, “shift student’s mind” does not express the intended idea idiomatically, and “make them score less” is imprecise. “Long vacations” and “long break” are also repeated frequently. Aim for more precise expressions for learning continuity and academic performance, and check spelling and word forms such as “loose” when you mean “lose.” These refinements would make the vocabulary more natural and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrastive opening with “While” and a cause-and-effect sentence beginning “Consequently.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “Long vacations, on one hand are beneficial” needs punctuation around the introductory phrase, and “it becomes difficult for them get back” is missing “to.” In “longer summer break give students,” the subject and verb do not agree, while “although … but” creates an incorrect paired construction in the conclusion. There are also some unclear sentence connections, such as the opening fragment beginning “While some people argue.” Review clause structure, agreement, and infinitive patterns, then proofread punctuation and sentence boundaries.

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