Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

In several countries, schools for primary and secondry grade pupils close for over two months in summer every year. Some people say that long holidays are important for children's development, while others argue that shorter holidays would be more advantageous for students. In this essay I will discuss both views and draw some conclusions at the end.

Firstly, people who argue in the favor of longer holidays often say its a great way for children to spend more time with their families, and learn new skills. It is very common for parents to enroll their children into school at the age of 5 or 6, and they spend a signifcant time of a day there. This way some students can get aloof from their families and every important event for them takes place in school, which in itself is not inherently bad, but spending time with their families learning to do basic house hold chores could prove to play a more important role in children's development.

On the other hand, people against this idea argue that spending time with their classmates who are roughly the same age as them is more beneficial towards student's health, and by shorter holidays children have more time to cover their annual curriculum, and the the burden could be more spread throughout the whole academic year. In many schools sports, drama, and art classes are conducted, and participating in these activities with their school fellows can teach them useful skill like leadership, teamwork, build their confidence.

To conlude, I would say although longer summer holidays might be a good way to expose them to different useful activities, I believe brief holidays is a much better option as their academic burden gets lighter and they can take part in different sports activities at school.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both questions and maintain a clear position: you explain the value of longer breaks through family time and learning practical skills, then favour shorter holidays for curriculum coverage and school activities. This meets the task well, and your examples about chores, sports, drama and art are relevant. However, the value of long holidays is developed less fully than the case for shorter ones: the family-time point is explained, but the benefits of learning new skills are not illustrated in much detail. The shorter-holiday argument would also be stronger with a clearer explanation of how a more evenly spread curriculum benefits pupils. Your conclusion restates your view, though it could synthesise the comparison more precisely. Further development of these points would make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each perspective, and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” help readers recognise the shift between arguments. This is a sound, logical organisation. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, and the long sentences in the body paragraphs sometimes combine several ideas without showing their relationships clearly. For example, the second body paragraph moves from classmates and health to curriculum coverage, then to extracurricular activities. Consider separating these into more focused points and using references such as “these activities” only when the connection is unmistakable. This would make the progression more flexible and the links between claims and examples clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss education and development, including “curriculum,” “leadership,” “teamwork,” and “confidence.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and some less common expressions are attempted. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “get aloof from their families,” “beneficial towards student's health,” and “school fellows.” Spelling errors, including “secondry,” “signifcant,” and “conlude,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural academic phrasing and check spelling carefully. For instance, you could describe children as becoming “less connected to their families,” say an activity is “beneficial to students’ well-being,” and refer to “classmates.” More precise collocations would make your vocabulary sound more fluent and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while,” “which,” and “although.” This allows you to compare viewpoints and express qualifications, and the meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in sentence construction and agreement. In “people … say its a great way,” the possessive form should be “it’s” for “it is”; “the the burden” repeats the article; and “brief holidays is” has a plural subject with a singular verb. The sentence beginning “On the other hand” also joins several claims in a way that makes the structure difficult to control. Review agreement, articles, and punctuation, and divide sentences when they contain multiple separate arguments. This would improve accuracy while preserving your range of structures.

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