Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-03
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)
The summer holidays are the best part of the year for children, they are always waiting for their vacation. In many countries, primary and secondary schools off for two months or more, some argue that vacation should be less. However, I believe that schools should have only one month break for summer vacation.
There are several benefits of long summer vacation for children, if they spend their vacation days for productive activities such as playing sports, learning new dance form and painting. Moreover, Some students are enthusiast for learning new languages, they could spend their time for online studies. However, there are some drawbacks of long vacation. Sometimes children get bored because their parents are working and no one to play with, in those long summer days their day end up watching tv or playing video games. Consequently, they become couch potatoes and also eat more junk food during a day, it lead to obesity for children.
On the other hand, with shorter holidays, children and parents both have clarity to manage shorter holidays. Thus, they can make their their schedule accordingly, they can allocate limited days for productive activities. One month of vacation would be enough for children to relax instead of long vacation like two months or more. Children could go on trip, join summer camp on weekends, spend enough time with family and also allocate some time for entertainment. Shorter vacation also beneficial for parents, they do not have to constant monitor their children.
In conclusion, I personally believe less is more, shorter holidays may beneficial for all parents and children. However, children become lazier with lot of leisure time at home. Students may get limited time for their vacation, thus they use their leisure time in productive way.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses both questions and gives a clear view: you favour a one-month summer break. You identify benefits of longer holidays, including time for sports, dance, painting and language study, and explain why shorter breaks may help families plan and reduce the need for parents to supervise children. These points are relevant, but some are developed more fully than others. The drawbacks of long holidays—boredom, screen use and unhealthy eating—are explained with a consequence, while the value of long holidays is mostly presented as a list of possible activities. The case for shorter holidays also relies on broad claims, such as children becoming lazier. Develop each main point with a specific example or clearer explanation of its impact to make the discussion more balanced and convincing.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
Your essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction stating your position, a paragraph on long holidays, a paragraph on shorter holidays, and a conclusion. The contrast signalled by “However” and “On the other hand” helps readers follow the two sides. Within paragraphs, though, ideas are sometimes joined mechanically or run together, as in “they can make their their schedule accordingly, they can allocate limited days.” This makes the relationship between planning and activities less clear. Some references are also vague, such as “those long summer days” and “they,” which can refer to different groups. Use clearer sentence boundaries and vary linking methods; for example, explain one benefit, then show its result before moving to the next point.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use a relevant range of everyday vocabulary, including “productive activities,” “online studies,” “couch potatoes,” “obesity” and “summer camp.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some phrases show an attempt to be specific. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “learning new dance form,” “enthusiast for learning,” “their day end up,” and “constant monitor.” Repetition of “vacation,” “children” and “shorter holidays” also limits flexibility. Aim for more natural academic phrasing and check word forms and collocations. For instance, describe children as “enthusiastic about learning” and say that parents do not need to “constantly supervise” them. More precise vocabulary would make your arguments sound clearer and more controlled.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, using clauses with “if,” “because” and “instead of,” and your meaning is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in sentence boundaries, verb forms, agreement and articles. The opening joins two independent clauses with a comma: “The summer holidays are the best part of the year for children, they are always waiting for their vacation.” Other examples include “schools off” (missing a verb), “their day end up watching” and “it lead to obesity.” There are also incomplete constructions, such as “Sometimes children get bored because their parents are working and no one to play with.” Practise building complete clauses and checking subject–verb agreement; accurate control of these patterns would make your complex sentences more effective.
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