Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-29

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)

During the season of summer, primary and secondary schools close for two or more months in many countries. In this essay, the value of long summer vacations and arguments in favour of shorter school holidays will be discussed.

In summer, many countries of the world face severe heatwave and harsh weather conditions. In such weather, schools are enforced to close by the Government. One of the biggest benefits of these holidays is that students remain safe from different kinds of health issues.

Long summer holidays provide the students with opportunity to study at their own pace and complete the coursework recommended to them by their teachers. In addition, students engage in different kinds of extracurricular activities during these holidays and get different kinds of chance to learn something new. As during our school life we used to go to our agriculture farms and lend our parents a helping hand. Students usually enjoy a lot of freedom during this time as they do not have to worry about their strict school schedule.

But some people argues that school holidays should not be such long enough. They give some solid arguments in this favour. Like If schools remain close for such long period of time, most students do not give proper attention to their studies and eventually at the end of holidays they struggle to learn their lessons in school. Moreover, if there are shorter school holidays students remain focused both on their studies and fun activities and parents do not have to look after them the whole day.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both questions: it explains benefits of long holidays, including protection from extreme heat, time for coursework and extracurricular activities, and helping parents on farms, then presents reasons for shorter breaks. These points are relevant, but several are asserted rather than fully explained. For example, the claim that holidays protect students from health problems is not linked to how school conditions create that risk, and the discussion of shorter holidays could explain more clearly how regular study prevents learning loss or how parents benefit. The opening announces the topics but does not establish a clear overall view about which arguments are more persuasive. Develop each main point with a specific explanation or example and make your position explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on the value of long holidays, and a final paragraph presenting arguments for shorter ones. Linking expressions such as “In addition,” “Moreover,” and “But” help signal the movement between ideas, and the reader can follow the main progression. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some stronger control through paragraphing and signposting. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear: “Like If schools remain close…” introduces an example awkwardly, while “these holidays” and “this time” rely on broad references. Use more precise transitions and connect each supporting sentence explicitly to the point it develops.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, with some topic-relevant choices such as “heatwave,” “coursework,” “extracurricular activities,” and “strict school schedule.” However, the range is limited by repeated general wording, especially “different kinds of,” “students,” and “holidays,” and several collocations or word choices are inaccurate. For instance, “schools are enforced to close” and “get different kinds of chance” do not sound natural, while “lend our parents a helping hand” is not the intended expression in this context. These choices do not prevent understanding, but they make parts of the essay less precise. Build a wider set of natural phrases for discussing learning, childcare, and school breaks.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple sentences and attempts at longer structures, such as the sentence beginning “If schools remain close for such long period of time…” and the sentence about students’ activities during holidays. Meaning is generally understandable, but errors recur in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. Examples include “some people argues,” “schools remain close,” and “students with opportunity”; the sentence beginning “Like If…” is also an incomplete, poorly punctuated construction. These patterns show that complex ideas are being attempted, but control is not yet consistent. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and articles, and recast informal fragments as complete sentences with a clear main clause.

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