Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Write about the following topic:

Many young people choose to take a year out between finishing school and starting university in order to gain work experience or to travel. The experience of non-academic life this offers benefits the individual when they return to education.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience

Student answer (Band 6.0)

There is an ongoing debate about young people taking a gap year to travel or work before they start university. Some people believe that this could be benefitial for the person once they return to classes. I strongly agree with this view.

One of the main reason i believe that gaining work experience could benefit young people its because it allows them to gain interpersonal skills. For instance, some companies offer summer internships. This is a way for young people to have their first job experience and to learn how to work in a professional environment. Consequently, this could help them to be more confident working with other people.

In addition, having their first work experience contributes to improving their curriculum. Numerous students have challenges to get a job after they finish their studies because they do not have work experience. As a result, this might help them get a job offer in the future.

Onother benefit is that travel would make them unwind from their responsabilities. Many students are stress out after high school and they feel that they need a break. A vacation may clear their minds and they may return with more energy. For example, in the US students often spent their summer traveling to Europe to have some fun and relax. Therefore, taking a vacation is a way to start higher education more willing.

In conclusion, i believe that taking a gap year to travel or to work is benefitial, because it can contribute to gaining interpersonal skills and allowing young people to start university with more energy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the introduction (“I strongly agree”) and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address both work and travel, giving relevant reasons: work may develop interpersonal skills and improve employment prospects, while travel may help students relax before university. The internship example supports the first point, and the travel example illustrates the second. However, the two arguments are not developed equally: the employment point moves quickly from experience to a future job offer, without explaining how this experience specifically helps students when they return to education. The travel discussion also focuses mainly on relaxation rather than broader benefits to learning. Explain these links more fully and support them with specific detail to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for work and travel, and a conclusion that restates your view. The progression from one benefit to another is easy to follow, and signposts such as “In addition,” “Onother benefit,” and “In conclusion” help readers navigate the argument. This already gives the essay a coherent arrangement. To make the flow more flexible and less dependent on formulaic transitions, connect ideas through clearer cause-and-effect explanations. For example, explain how workplace communication skills could help a student participate in university group projects. Also, “Consequently” and “As a result” introduce similar relationships; vary these links and make sure each reference, such as “This,” clearly points to the intended idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including relevant terms such as “interpersonal skills,” “professional environment,” and “work experience.” However, the range is limited in places, and several noticeable spelling, word-form, or collocation errors reduce precision: “benefitial,” “Onother,” “responsabilities,” and “stress out” are examples. Some expressions are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “improving their curriculum” when you mean strengthening a CV or résumé, and “start higher education more willing.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise vocabulary for the educational benefits of a gap year would also help you express the argument with greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a subordinate clause in “because it allows them…” and a relative clause in “students… because they do not have work experience.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the overall meaning is clear. Some grammatical errors persist, however. In “One of the main reason i believe…,” the noun should be plural, and the clause “could benefit young people its because” needs a clearer grammatical structure. There are also agreement and tense problems in “Many students are stress out” and “students often spent,” as well as inconsistent capitalization of “I.” Review subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and sentence construction, then proofread for capitalization and punctuation. Greater accuracy across these structures would strengthen the response.

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