Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-18

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)

It is often debated in some countries whether summer holidays should last for two months or should they be reduced.

Summer holidays are an immemorable part of school memories for many children. Long summer holidays are the most awaited months of school calendar. Holidays allow children to enjoy a break from monotonous routine of school life and rejuvenate for the coming tiring months of learning and exams. Children often travel to meet extended families which helps them relax and spend time with family and grandparents. For instance, in India during summer breaks most kids live at their grandparents home where all the cousins spend time playing and enjoying. Holidays allow kids to focus on extra-curricular activities such as artwork, dancing or spend time on personal hobbies like reading or cooking. Such leisure activities are not possible everyday when kids are busy with school.

However, many people find this to be inconvenient. In modern times, with both parents working, it is difficult to take care of kids at home all time while juggling professional commitments. Some parents also find it difficult to keep the children entertained everyday when they are home for such a long period of time. For example, many children get bored very soon due to lack of entertainment or constant stimulus at home and might start troubling parents. Some people also argue that such a long period of holidays waste learning days at school as kids do not learn coursework during this time.

Although longer holidays can inconvenience parents and might slightly affect learning but in the broader sense, these holidays help children relax and enjoy childhood which will not be possible once they grow up. Hence I believe that long summer holidays are better .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both questions and maintain a clear preference for long summer holidays, especially in the conclusion. The benefits are supported with relevant examples: family visits in India and time for hobbies illustrate how children can rest and pursue interests. You also give several arguments for shorter breaks, including working parents’ childcare difficulties and the loss of learning time. However, these opposing arguments are less fully explained than the benefits, and the claim that children may “start troubling parents” is general rather than developed. To strengthen the response, explain more precisely how shorter breaks could help children retain what they have learned or make childcare easier, while keeping your position clear throughout. This would make the treatment of both parts more balanced and developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: it introduces the issue, discusses the value of long holidays, presents arguments against them, and ends with your view. Paragraphing supports this structure, and transitions such as “However” and “Hence” help signal shifts and the conclusion. Ideas within the main body are generally easy to follow, with examples placed alongside the points they support. Some linking is a little repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “Holidays allow,” and the final paragraph combines a concession and conclusion without fully separating the reasoning. Use a wider range of reference and linking expressions, and make the relationship between each claim and its explanation more explicit, to make the progression feel more flexible and less list-like.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “monotonous routine,” “rejuvenate,” “professional commitments,” and “extra-curricular activities.” These choices help express ideas about rest, family life, and childcare. There are also some inaccurate or unnatural choices that keep the vocabulary from being consistently precise: “immemorable” does not mean memorable, “most awaited months of school calendar” is awkward, and “constant stimulus” is not a natural fit for the intended meaning. Spelling and word-form control also need attention in “everyday” where you mean “every day.” Aim for accurate collocations and check whether a less common word conveys your intended meaning; natural, precise phrasing is more effective than ambitious vocabulary used inaccurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “which,” “when,” and “although,” and most of the meaning remains clear. Some sentences are controlled well, such as the explanation that children travel to meet extended family, while the final sentence attempts a more complex concession. However, some grammatical errors remain. The opening question structure is incorrect: “whether summer holidays should last … or should they be reduced” should keep the same embedded-question form on both sides. In “Although longer holidays can inconvenience parents and might slightly affect learning but…,” the concessive clause is incorrectly combined with “but.” Articles and possessives also need checking in “school calendar” and “grandparents home.” Review parallel structures and sentence boundaries to improve accuracy while retaining your range.

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