Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-30

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)

Summer holidays are a big factor in many countries, for which people make elaborated plans. While this gives families opportunity to bond and make core memories, after the long break students face many difficulties.

There are a lot of instances where the grandparents live in the villages. Because of busy schedules and childrens' schools people cannot visit them regularly. But in the summer holidays children go to the villages and the family members spend quality time together. For example, in Bangladesh schools are given off during the summer time. Children count days until they can visit their grandparents and have mangoes, watermelons and lychees with them. These memories stay with them even when they are older.

Despite having a good time during the holidays, the pressure of studies becomes too much. Children often do not study in the breaks. So, all their homeworks and exam preparations are delayed. They have to makeup for the lost time later. This becomes a huge burden for the little ones. Sometimes, after the long holidays they find it harder to concentrate. Furthermore, exam dates are fixed just after the holidays. This affects the result of young people. For example, when I used to go to my grandparents' house in the summer, I just wanted to listen to grandmother's stories and eat cold mangoes. No matter how much my mother tried she could not get me to study. After coming back to home I used to feel overwhelmed and scared as there would be too many homeworks to finish.

In conclusion, the emotional value of summer holidays is something that cannot be compared. That being said, children are not mature enough to do their studies on their own. Rather than giving such a long break schools can instead start classes a bit earlier to give the students time to adjust.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both questions and maintain a clear overall view: long holidays have emotional and family value, but shorter breaks could reduce academic pressure. The Bangladesh example and your personal experience make the benefits and drawbacks concrete. This meets the task well, while some ideas are more fully developed than others: the value of family visits is illustrated vividly, but the case for shorter holidays is mainly framed around children falling behind and struggling to concentrate. The final suggestion that schools start earlier is relevant, but its practical benefit could be explained more clearly. To strengthen the response, develop the arguments for shorter holidays beyond study pressure—for example, continuity of learning or easier childcare arrangements—and explain how a shorter break would address the problems identified.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on the benefits of long holidays, a paragraph on their academic drawbacks, and a conclusion. The contrast signalled by “Despite having a good time” helps the reader follow the shift in argument, and examples are placed alongside the points they support. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. “So” and “Furthermore” link ideas, but the relationship between fixed exam dates and the preceding discussion could be made more explicit. The conclusion also moves quickly from the emotional value of holidays to the proposal to start classes earlier. Use clearer topic sentences and explain the links between cause, consequence, and recommendation to make progression more consistently controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range to discuss family relationships and school pressures, including “bond,” “quality time,” “overwhelmed,” and “concentrate.” The specific references to fruit and family stories also make the examples vivid. There are some inaccurate or unnatural choices that limit precision, such as “elaborated plans,” “homeworks,” and “makeup for the lost time.” “Big factor” is also broad for the intended meaning, and “given off” is not the natural expression for school holidays. These choices do not prevent understanding, but they show that less common or more formal vocabulary is not always controlled. Aim for accurate collocations and standard forms, and choose words that express the exact relationship or effect you mean.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including the contrast in “While this gives families…” and the conditional-style example beginning “No matter how much my mother tried…”. Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and punctuation generally supports the argument. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, possessives, and prepositions: “gives families opportunity” needs an article, “childrens' schools” has an incorrect possessive form, and “coming back to home” uses an unnecessary preposition. There are also awkward constructions such as “There are a lot of instances where the grandparents live in the villages.” These errors rarely impede understanding, but more consistent control of noun phrases and sentence patterns would improve accuracy. Proofread specifically for articles and prepositions.

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