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)

Introduction: In many countries, schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays.While long holidays provide students with an opportunity to relax and develop new skills, some people believe shorter holidays would be more beneficial. this essay will discuss both views. Body paragraph 1 : Long summer holidays have several advantages for students . Firstly, they allow children to take a break from their studies and reduce academic stress.student spent more time with their family ,travel to different places and enjoy noutdoor activities. Secondly, these holiday provide an opportunity to learn new skills. For instance, child can attend swimming classes, learn musical instrument or improver their computer skills, As a resultm they can develop their personalitues and become more independent. Body paragraph 2 : on the other hand, shoerter schools holiday can also be beneficial.One improtant reason is that student may forget what they learned during a long break . If schools remain close for several minths., children might lose their interest in studying and find it difficult to reture to their normal routine. . shorter holidays can help student maintain their academic progress /furthermore, regular schooling provide children with a structure environment where they can continue learning . for instance, students who attend school throughout the year may perform better in examination because they revise their lesson more frequently. Conclusion: althrough long summer holidays give student time to relax and develop new interests, shorter holidays can help them maintain their learning and acadeemic performance . In my opinion, a balanced school calender with reasonable breaks would be the most effective

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both questions: it explains the value of long holidays through rest, family time and opportunities to learn skills, then gives reasons for shorter breaks, including retaining knowledge and maintaining a routine. The conclusion also gives a clear preference for a balanced calendar. These points are relevant, but some are more fully explained than others. The examples of swimming and music illustrate skill development, while the claim that year-round attendance may improve exam performance would benefit from a clearer explanation or a specific example. The position is present, though the introduction could state more directly how the two options compare. The response meets the required length; 11 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. To strengthen the answer, develop each main reason with a more precise explanation of its effects on students.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall arrangement, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. Its progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “On the other hand,” and “Furthermore” help show how ideas relate. This meets the lower-band expectations and shows some features of stronger organisation. However, the linking can feel mechanical, and punctuation and spacing sometimes interrupt the flow—for example, “stress.student spent” and “routine. . shorter holidays.” Some connections between claims could also be made more explicit, particularly between regular schooling and better examination performance. Use transitions selectively, and check sentence boundaries and references so the reader can follow the argument smoothly without being distracted.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate its main ideas, including “academic stress,” “personal development,” “independent,” and “academic progress.” It also attempts some less common expressions, such as “maintain their academic progress” and “balanced school calendar.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the reader pause: “noutdoor,” “improver,” “personalitues,” “shoerter,” and “acadeemic.” There are also awkward or inaccurate combinations, such as “structure environment” and “revise their lesson.” These issues limit the precision and control of the vocabulary, even though the overall meaning remains understandable. Proofread carefully and build a reliable range of collocations for discussing education, learning and school schedules.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay includes both simple statements and attempts at more complex sentences, such as “While long holidays provide students with an opportunity to relax and develop new skills, some people believe shorter holidays would be more beneficial.” This variety helps communicate the argument, and the main ideas are generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, however, particularly with articles, plurals, agreement and verb forms: “these holiday provide,” “child can attend,” and “regular schooling provide.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention, as in “reduce academic stress.student spent more time.” These errors do not usually prevent understanding, but they reduce accuracy and make the writing less fluent. Review subject–verb agreement and article use, and proofread each sentence for a complete, correctly punctuated structure.

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