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)

It is argued that primary and secondary school provides summer holidays for more than two months. Moreover, I believe that it is extremely important for the growth of a child to relax and engage himself in various extra curricular activities. Nevertheless, some people still stand in the argument that there shall be shorter school holidays. In this essay I will discuss both the views and give my own opinion respectively.

On the one hand, long school holidays are very important for the growth of children in terms of their health and mental capacity. It is stated that holidays help young individuals have a relaxed environment in which they can grow physically and mentally as well. The primary and secondary school years is the time where students grow in their life as a person. They get a few months to spend time with their famiy which is as important as studying the whole year. For example, students of primary and secondary grade have more capacity of learning new things, they watch and adapt everything and that is why long holidays are the most beneficial thing for them to grow as a human being and our government should provide them this basic necessity.

On the other hand, some people argue that shorter holidays should be considered as there is more capacity for a student to learn more things while they are in a classroom. I firmly disagree with this statement and that is because if a person is burdened by something for a long time without a proper break, the learning curve stops in their life and a form of depression starts to kick in. For instance, a very popular bodybuilder named Arnold said in an interview that the body of a human being grows while they are resting. It does not grow in the gym working out the whole day. This is the reason I believe in having long holidays for young students.

In a nutshell, long holidays is the key to improve a life of a child significantly by giving him some space to relax his mind and make mistakes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions and make your position clear: you support long holidays, explaining that children need time to rest, develop physically and mentally, and spend time with family. The comparison with a bodybuilder’s recovery also gives a relevant reason for breaks. However, the value of long holidays is explained more fully than the case for shorter ones. The opposing view is reduced mainly to having more classroom learning time, without exploring benefits such as maintaining learning routines or reducing the need to review material after a long break. Some claims, including that holidays are a “basic necessity,” would be stronger with clearer explanation or a specific example. Develop both sides more evenly and make the conclusion summarise the comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphs are organised around distinct positions, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In a nutshell” make the progression easy to follow. This gives the essay a coherent arrangement. At times, however, linking is somewhat formulaic, and some connections between claims are not fully explained. For example, the point that students “watch and adapt everything” does not clearly lead to why long holidays are especially beneficial. The conclusion also repeats the preference for long holidays rather than drawing together the main arguments on both sides. Use clearer links between each reason and its consequence, and vary transitions where appropriate.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “mental capacity,” “relaxed environment,” “learning curve,” and “burdened,” and the intended meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts to express ideas beyond basic vocabulary. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “stand in the argument,” “adapt everything,” and “improve a life of a child.” “Extra curricular” is also conventionally written as “extracurricular.” These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim to learn vocabulary in common combinations and choose wording that expresses the exact relationship between ideas; for instance, explain that breaks can support children’s wellbeing rather than relying on broad phrases such as “grow as a human being.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “that,” “which,” and “because.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the longer sentences show an effort to explain causes and examples. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “primary and secondary school years is” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “long holidays is” in the conclusion also needs plural agreement. In “there is more capacity for a student to learn,” the sentence structure is awkward, and “the time where students grow” would be more accurately formed with “when.” Review agreement with plural subjects and the construction of relative clauses. Breaking a few long sentences into shorter units would also help you control punctuation and make relationships between ideas clearer.

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