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)

A significant number of countries stop their educational activities in primary and secondary schools for two months or more in summer vacations. Some people argue that shorter holidays would improve educational experience. I believe that longer holidays would benefit students in different ways, I also recognise the advantages of reducing their duration.

One of the main advantage of legnthy vacations is that students relax after having a long duration of classes. As pupils attend classes whole year and when they get vacations in summers, they have tan opportunity to spend there time in nature, do some recreational activities and play their favourite games. For example, they can join any sports club according to their interest and spend there much of their free time enjoying it. It will sparks creativity and sharpens their concentration levels.

However, there are compelling arguements in favour of shorter holidays. Firstly, a prolonged absence from formal learning may results to forget the lessons the students have previously learnt. Teachers have to spend extra time on students to teach them difficult subjects such as mathematics and science. Consequently, some extra time will be required to accomplish the process of learning. Secondly, the parents who dont have much time to spend with their children because of their busy schedule, short breaks for schools are best for their children.

In conclusion, long school breaks promote realxation, development and family bonding while the short vacations improve learning skills,intellectual building and ease childcare duties.I believe a balanced approach benefits both to the students and their families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both questions and maintains a clear overall view: long breaks allow rest and recreation, while shorter breaks may support learning and help parents manage childcare. The examples of joining a sports club and teachers revisiting mathematics and science make the discussion relevant. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, the link between recreation and “sparks creativity” or sharper concentration is not developed, and the point about parents’ busy schedules needs clearer explanation of how shorter holidays help. The conclusion summarises the contrast, but “intellectual building” is not clearly connected to the earlier argument. Develop each main idea with a more explicit explanation or example to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the benefits of long and short holidays, and a conclusion. The contrastive transition “However” and sequencing words such as “Firstly” and “Secondly” help readers follow the argument. This organisation is effective, and the ideas generally progress logically. To make cohesion more flexible and precise, improve links between claims and their explanations. For example, the move from sports activities to “It will sparks creativity” would benefit from a clearer reference and explanation. The final sentence also compresses several ideas into a list, making the relationships between them less clear. Use referencing and transitions naturally, and ensure each paragraph develops one connected line of reasoning.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “educational activities,” “recreational activities,” “formal learning,” and “childcare duties.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and attempts such as “prolonged absence” show willingness to use less common language. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “educational experience,” “accomplish the process of learning,” and “intellectual building.” Spelling errors such as “legnthy,” “arguements,” and “realxation” also reduce accuracy. These issues do not prevent understanding, but more precise, natural phrasing would strengthen the response. Check spelling carefully and learn vocabulary in common combinations, such as “retain what they have learned” and “support children’s development.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple and complex sentence forms, such as the conditional-style explanation beginning “As pupils attend classes…” and the relative clause “parents who don’t have much time…”. Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. Examples include “One of the main advantage” (singular/plural agreement), “may results” (verb form), and “It will sparks” (verb form). The opening sentence of the first body paragraph is also awkwardly constructed, combining clauses without a clear grammatical relationship. In the conclusion, punctuation and spacing around the list make the sentence harder to read. Review subject–verb agreement, verb patterns after modal verbs, and sentence boundaries; then proofread longer sentences for clarity.

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