Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-07

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 5.5)

One of the most common things among graduated highschoolers is taking a year out before starting university life. Unlike usual, many people think that idea is just wasting of time intead of using it wisely. And that is make us ask a question, Does this non-academic year really a good idea or not? and that is what we going to talk about.

The idea of taking a year out in most cases is a good idea if it was managed wisely. For example, some might think that gaining work experience before university will help them later in their career and their study, as dealing with clients as well as the work enviroment will help them getting used to this kind of life of tasks and effort -in addition of gaining money for his studying fees- which univeristy life requires. Others think in travelling, which is also a good exprience. As seeing new people with new mindsets will give them skills and experinces they have never known before. As well, traveling enhances the ability of independance, self reliance and time management.

On the other hand, taking a year out could be a waste of time if it was spend on useless things. Instead of improving and gaining new skills and experiences, many could spent it distracted by alot of non-benificial habits leading them to wasting alot of rich time that can't be refunded.

So in my opinion, taking a non-academic year out and invest it in gaining work experience or traveling can be both risky but great idea depend on how you manage it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the benefits and potential drawbacks of taking a gap year. You clearly state your position that it is a 'great idea' depending on management. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention work experience and travel, the explanation of how these specifically benefit a student upon returning to education is a bit superficial. To reach a higher band, you should provide more concrete examples or deeper analysis of the link between the gap year experience and academic success, rather than just listing general benefits like 'time management' or 'money'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs for both sides of the argument, and a conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'For example', 'On the other hand', and 'Instead of'. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Some transitions feel mechanical, and the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the opening paragraph where the connection between sentences is slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between ideas would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'non-academic', 'mindsets', and 'independance'. However, there are several spelling errors ('highschoolers', 'intead', 'enviroment', 'univeristy', 'exprience', 'independance', 'alot', 'non-benificial') and some word choice issues, such as 'that is make us ask a question' and 'can't be refunded' (where 'wasted' or 'irrecoverable' would be more appropriate). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Focusing on accurate spelling and more natural collocations will help improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('that is make us ask', 'many could spent it'), incorrect article usage, and awkward sentence construction ('Does this non-academic year really a good idea or not?'). While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like verb tense consistency and subject-verb agreement.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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