Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-17

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)

School summer holidays are fundamental approach for our life. Many countries close their primary and secondary schools for around two months in the summer vacations. It comes down to relief the stress that students suffer for the whole year, However shorter holidays might be better for avoiding treat vacation as a routine.

Long school holidays assist students to do different activities in different fields. For instance, students could start their vacation by going to the beach in the first month to unwind and relief the stress of the studying. After that, they can start planning for the next two moths, strengthening their weaknesses in the subject they interest such as Math or English. In addition, summer holidays could be a stating point to do any sport or go to the gym and it would be beneficial for their health.

Regarding shorter school holidays, some people argue that because most students don't exploit the summer holidays in something useful, making school favor shorter rather than long holidays. Furthermore, staying around 3 months in vacation may became a routine and it could initially make students get involved in the school more difficult. Therefore, in this case, dividing long holidays into two short holidays through the whole year could be more practical to just unwind.

To wrap up, choosing of either short or long holidays depends on how students deal with it. long holidays are better for students who need to make use of it such as develop their skills beside do a sport. In contrast, students who don't prefer to exploit the holiday, short one is preferable to not get used on vacation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions and present a balanced view: long holidays can provide rest and time for activities, while shorter breaks may prevent students from losing engagement with school. The examples of going to the beach, improving in mathematics or English, and taking up sport make the benefits more concrete. However, the case for shorter holidays is less fully developed: the claim that students do not use the time productively is broad, and the idea of dividing the break into two shorter holidays is not explained in detail. Your conclusion gives a clear conditional position, but could be more decisive about which arrangement you consider preferable overall.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction to the benefits of long holidays, then arguments for shorter breaks, and finally a conclusion. Paragraphing helps the reader follow this progression, and signposts such as “For instance,” “Furthermore,” and “To wrap up” make relationships between ideas apparent. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some flexibility in linking ideas. At times, however, connections are mechanical or unclear: “After that” suggests a sequence that is not essential, while “Therefore, in this case” does not clearly connect the preceding point to the proposed solution. Make links more precise and ensure each paragraph develops one central argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “unwind,” “strengthening their weaknesses,” “exploit,” and “beneficial for their health,” and the reader can generally understand your meaning. There are also attempts to discuss the topic with more specific language, such as “dividing long holidays” and “get involved in the school.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “fundamental approach for our life,” “relief the stress,” and “a stating point.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning less clear, and spelling errors such as “moths” also affect accuracy. Focus on learning natural word partnerships and checking word forms and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, using structures such as “because most students…” and “who need to make use of it,” so the response is not limited to basic sentence forms. Meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “It comes down to relief the stress” uses an incorrect verb form, and “making school favor shorter” has an unclear grammatical construction. In the conclusion, “choosing of either short or long holidays” and “short one is preferable” show problems with article use and sentence formation. There are also punctuation and capitalisation slips, such as the comma before “However” and lowercase “long” after a full stop. Review verb patterns, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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