Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-31

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)

In summers, primary and secondry educational institutes remain close in many countries. Vacations for a longer period of time are beneficial in several aspects, while shorter school vacations are advantageous in curriculum completion in time without stressing children much.

On the one hand, long vacations allow children to spend quality time with their family members. It strengthens the bond between parents and children. Moreover, children enjoy their vacations and visit several recreational places which becomes memorable and joyful experience for them. Furthermore, pupils enhance different skills during long vacations such as some pupils who are interested in IT do different computer related courses. For instance, during the vacations of my secondry school i joined a beauty salon and learned different techniques of hair styling and make up. In adddition, the weather is quite hot and humid during summers so long vacations allow children to feel at ease by not travelling and staying at home.

On the other hand, holidays for a shorter time are a quick boost for students. They feel less stressed and feel relaxed afterwards. Firstly, they complete their course on time without feeling burdenized. Parents also feel less exhausted because many of them are job holders so they cannot stay at home all the time to take care of their children. Secondly, short vacations are beneficial in making students more confident and enhances their communication and teamwork skills. They become more friendly because of more interaction with their classmates.

In conclusion, although long vacations in summers give students the opportunity to relax and spend time with their family, short school holidays are equally important as they develop different crucial skills in students and also keep parents at ease.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions and maintain a balanced overall view: the first body paragraph explains family time, recreation, skill-building and relief from summer heat, while the second gives reasons for shorter breaks, including course completion and parents’ work commitments. The personal example about learning hairstyling makes one benefit concrete. However, some points are asserted rather than explained. For example, the claim that shorter holidays improve confidence, communication and teamwork is not clearly linked to how reduced holiday time produces these outcomes. The value of long holidays is developed more fully than the case for shorter ones. To strengthen the response, explain the cause-and-effect behind each main argument and support the less-developed points with a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs signposted by “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a conclusion that restates the comparison. Ideas within the first paragraph also progress from family time to recreation, skills and weather. This coherent arrangement meets the lower-band expectations securely, and the paragraphing is effective. To make the progression more consistently smooth, reduce reliance on formulaic sequencing such as “Moreover,” “Furthermore,” “Firstly” and “Secondly,” and make the relationship between ideas more explicit. For instance, the shift from completing the course on time to parents feeling less exhausted could be connected through a clearer explanation of how shorter breaks affect family routines.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range to discuss the topic, including phrases such as “quality time,” “recreational places,” “curriculum completion” and “communication and teamwork skills.” These choices help convey the main ideas, and the personal example adds relevant topic vocabulary. However, several inaccurate or unnatural choices reduce precision: “educational institutes remain close” should be “schools remain closed,” “burdenized” is not the appropriate word here, and “a quick boost” is unclear in context. There are also spelling errors, including “secondry” and “adddition.” Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully; this would make your meaning more precise without requiring unusually advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “because many of them are job holders” and a contrast structure in the conclusion. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “which becomes memorable and joyful experience” needs plural agreement and an article adjustment, while “short vacations are beneficial in making students more confident and enhances” has a subject–verb agreement problem. In “In summers,” the time expression also needs a more natural grammatical form. Review agreement, articles and parallel structures, especially when joining two benefits in one sentence. More consistently accurate control of these patterns would improve clarity while preserving your existing sentence variety.

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