Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-19

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, children studying in the primary as well as secondary schools have summer holidays for more than two months. The main motive of long school holidays are relaxation from stressful environment and children can charge up with fresh energy. Though some people in the society have arguments in favor of shorter school holidays.

Students in primary and secondary schools study for almost 8-10 months regularly and winter vacations are generally shorter in most of the nations so as a result, children needs break from the study. In longer summer holidays, they can relax with their friends and parents by the medium of travelling, for example. Furthermore, schools also recognize the importance of holidays, as they allow students to return to school with renewed energy and enthusiasm when they begin a new academic year. For example, in India, students often spend their vacations travelling with their loved ones, enjoying their free time and feeling refreshed before moving to the next grade.

However, proponents have their own opinion in favor of shorter school holidays. Parents argue that extended school holidays can disrupt children's learning progress and negatively affect their academic performance in upcoming academic year. For instance, a child is studying in 9th grade and having lengthy holidays can affect grades in 10th standard because generally studies as well as subjects in both year are quite similar. Additionally, some parents underestimate their children's sporting potential and discourage them from participating in indoor and outdoor activities, believing that sports may negatively affect their academic performance. Therefore, they favor shorter holidays.

To sum up, In many nations schools are close for two months or more in summer holidays because school want their students come back with fresh energy and great enthusiasm while numerous arguments are also present in support of shorter holidays.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: the first body paragraph explains the value of holidays for rest, family time and returning refreshed, while the next presents parents’ concerns about learning continuity and academic performance. The India example helps make the benefits concrete. However, the response only partly develops the arguments. The claim that holidays may affect performance in the next grade is asserted rather than clearly explained, and the point about parents discouraging sports is not clearly connected to why shorter holidays are preferable. The opening also gives a general position but does not clearly state how the two sides compare. Develop each argument with a clearer explanation and a directly relevant example, and make your overall view explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph on the benefits of long holidays, one on shorter holidays, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “Furthermore,” “However,” and “To sum up” help signal the movement between ideas, and the main points are generally easy to follow. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some of the stronger control associated with more flexible progression. However, some links are mechanical or unclear. The sports point, for example, follows the concern about academic performance without explaining the connection, and “Therefore” does not fully resolve that gap. The conclusion repeats the main points rather than synthesising them. Use clearer links between claims and examples, and vary how you refer back to ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including “academic performance,” “renewed energy and enthusiasm,” “proponents,” and “participating in indoor and outdoor activities.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and attempts at more formal vocabulary show some range. At times, however, word choice and collocation are inaccurate or awkward, such as “by the medium of travelling,” “charge up with fresh energy,” and “arguments in favor of shorter school holidays.” “The main motive” is also less natural here than a phrase describing a benefit or purpose. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim for common academic collocations and check whether each phrase sounds idiomatic in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “as,” “because,” and “while,” and most of the message remains understandable. However, errors in agreement, articles, verb forms and sentence construction recur, so control is not yet consistent. For example, “The main motive … are” has a singular subject with a plural verb, and “children needs break” has agreement and article problems. In “schools are close … because school want,” the verb forms and singular/plural agreement are also inaccurate. Some long sentences, particularly the example about a student moving from Grade 9 to Grade 10, would be clearer if divided or carefully structured. Review subject–verb agreement and articles, then proofread complex sentences for complete, well-formed clauses.

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