Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-27

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)

Primary and secondary schools are being close for two months, which is more than that time period in summer holidays in many nations. The long school holidays are valuable for getting recovered from academic pressure, while the arguments in favor are to maintain a regular routine and stay connected with their studies.

Long school holidays give them the chance to relax, because students need time to feel fresh and less stressed about their studies. In this phase they spend their time with families and relax their minds and do whatever they want. But nowadays studies are getting very hectic and stressful for students due to the constant pressure of parents and society. So, students need a break from the studies to refresh their minds; therefore, they have a break in their education so they do not fade from the school. For example: In Pakistan, summer break starts from the end of May and til august after the summer vacation, students look very happy and more active with their curriculum activities.

Arguments in favour of shorter school holidays to maintain their routine and stick with their studies. Students can stay focused and connected with their studies and are less likely to forget what they learned. Shorter holidays help them to maintain a regular routine, which can improve students' discipline and time management. For instance, on holidays students spend most of their time on social media watching movies or just scrolling through the different apps; those things are just a waste of time.

In conclusion, many countries close their primary and secondary schools for more than two months in summer holidays, while long holidays help students to recover their minds from academic pressure, and for shorter school holidays are also essential for students to focus on their studies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both questions and presents a clear overall position: long breaks allow students to recover from academic pressure, whereas shorter breaks can help them maintain routine and stay connected to learning. The Pakistan example gives the first point some context, and the discussion of forgetting material supports the case for shorter holidays. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the value of rest is explained in more detail, while the shorter-holiday argument relies mainly on routine and avoiding social media. The claim that students return “more active” is also not fully explained. To strengthen the response, develop the educational or family benefits of long holidays and explain more precisely how shorter breaks improve learning, using specific supporting examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two positions, and a conclusion that restates the main ideas. The progression from the benefits of rest to the case for shorter holidays is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “For example,” “But,” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships. Some connections are mechanical or unclear, however. In the first body paragraph, “therefore, they have a break in their education so they do not fade from the school” does not clearly connect the need to rest with the stated outcome. The second paragraph begins with a sentence fragment, which weakens the transition into its argument. Use clearer topic sentences and make each example explicitly support the point immediately before it.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for discussing school holidays and includes relevant phrases such as “academic pressure,” “regular routine,” “stay focused,” and “time management.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, and the response attempts some more specific language, including “curriculum activities.” However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “getting recovered,” “fade from the school,” and “more active with their curriculum activities.” “Waste of time” is also a broad judgement rather than a precise explanation of the effect of screen use. Aim for more natural academic phrasing and choose words that express the intended relationship clearly; this would make the argument more precise without requiring unusually advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “because,” “while,” and “which,” and most ideas remain understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, particularly in verb forms and sentence construction. For example, “schools are being close” uses an incorrect passive form, and “Arguments in favour of shorter school holidays to maintain their routine” is a sentence fragment without a main verb. The conclusion’s “and for shorter school holidays are also essential” is also structurally unclear. There are further issues with articles and prepositions, as in “from the studies” and “in summer holidays.” Review complete sentence structure and passive forms, and check that clauses joined by “while” or “and” have clear, parallel grammatical structures.

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