Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-01

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 many countries primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays, my school also used to do the same thing I feel like long school holidays are valuable in a way as the main thing about primary schools receiving such long school holidays is that it is a large switch from their usual schooling and to adjust it may help, it may help them to recover from long school days while adjusting to the change. It is also something that may motivate them to work harder during class hours serving as an incentive to working hard as they are being rewarded for their work. For secondary schools the kids have grown up and the pressure they may face at school may be something that requires them to take more time off while recovering to avoid burnout while others may have hobbies they may want to pursue and having long school holidays allows them to pursue these hobbies while making sure they aren't falling behind in school afterall school should be more than just a place for learning, it is a place to share moments with friends and teachers as well. I personally found having long school holidays to be quite rewarding, I really used to like playing Cricket back in secondary school and during the summer holidays I would play a lot of sports including Cricket with my friends, I even joined a cricket academy and learned a lot there.

However, you could argue that shorter school holidays have benefits as well, shorter school holidays may require students to be on their tiptoes which may promote competition in classrooms which may push students to achieve better grades. You could also argue that long holidays may make students lazy as in todays era most of our time is spent on digital screens rather than outside and that may not be as beneficial to lets say playing a sport as a hobby so in that regard shorter school holidays may be better to prevent students from getting too attatched to screens.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the question and maintain a clear view that long holidays can support rest, motivation and personal interests, while shorter breaks may encourage continued study and limit excessive screen use. The personal example about playing cricket and joining an academy makes the value of holidays concrete. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the benefits of long holidays receive several explanations, whereas the case for shorter holidays is mainly asserted. For example, explain how shorter breaks could help students retain knowledge or make learning more continuous, rather than relying chiefly on competition and screen time. Some claims, such as holidays motivating students to work harder, would also benefit from clearer explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: it first discusses the value of long holidays, then introduces the opposing case with “However.” Ideas generally follow a sensible order, and the cricket example supports the point about pursuing hobbies. However, the first paragraph is extremely long and combines several distinct points, making the progression harder to follow. The repeated phrasing “may help, it may help” and frequent use of “may” also make connections feel mechanical. Divide the discussion into clearer paragraphs—for example, separate rest and motivation from hobbies and personal experience—and use more precise links between each claim and its explanation. This would make the organisation easier to follow without changing the relevant content.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss schooling, wellbeing and leisure, including “incentive,” “burnout,” “pursue these hobbies” and “academy.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and the personal example is expressed clearly. At times, however, wording is informal or imprecise for an academic essay: “kids,” “on their tiptoes,” and “todays era” do not fit the register or meaning as well as more exact alternatives. There are also spelling errors in “afterall,” “attatched” and “lets.” Aim for more precise collocations and consistent formal wording, while avoiding repeated general terms such as “may” and “long school holidays.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while” and “as,” and the main meaning is generally clear. However, some sentence-boundary and punctuation errors reduce control. The opening joins the task statement and your personal experience with a comma, then continues into a very long sentence containing several separate ideas. The final paragraph also has a comma splice in “You could also argue that long holidays may make students lazy as in todays era…”. Use full stops or semicolons to separate complete thoughts, and check clause boundaries when adding explanations. There are also some errors in apostrophe use, such as “todays” and “lets.” More consistently controlled sentence structure would strengthen the response.

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