Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-09

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)

Most of the youngsters choose to take a break from academic life for almost one year after school and before taking admission in university for gaining work experience or for traveling. This essay agrees that work experience and exploration can be beneficial for young people because it can improve their skills and can increase their confidence.

One advantage of taking break from studies is that it can bring confidence in students. Continuous study can limit their skills and thoughts, when young people experience different activities or they try to explore things they can learn various significant skills which can be help for their future opportunities. Moreover, break of one year from academic pressure can reduce their fatigue and stress of studies, which can be helpful for their mental and physical health and when they return to education they can study more effectively. For instance, students who join university after school have no idea abut university life and pressure and their performance can not be same with the student who take a pause from studies for different experiences or exploring the world.

Other main advantage of taking one year break before joining university is that it can enhance the confidence of students. Initially, when young people travel numerous places and get any job experience during their break, than this can build confidence in them to start their journey of university life. Furthermore, university life is all about practical work which a normal student can not handle because of lack of confidence. However, students with confidence which they get during work experience can survive the practical work pressure effortlessly. For example, during office jobs employees face work pressure and mood swings of managers which make them resilient.

In conclusion, this essay believes that taking break from academic pressure after school before joining university can be advantageous for youngsters because it can improve their creativity and can enhance their confidence.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The ideas regarding confidence and skill development are relevant; however, the development is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the second and third paragraphs both focus heavily on 'confidence' as a primary benefit, which limits the depth of the argument. To reach a higher band, you should aim to explore distinct benefits—such as financial independence or academic maturity—rather than repeating the same point in different ways. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points, but the overall development of ideas remains somewhat superficial.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion' are used to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly repetitive. For example, starting two consecutive paragraphs with similar points about confidence makes the progression feel less fluid. Additionally, some referencing is slightly awkward, such as 'than this can build confidence', where 'then' is the correct spelling. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'resilient', 'academic pressure', and 'fatigue'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'taking admission in university' (should be 'enrolling in university') and 'can be help for their future' (should be 'helpful'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the sophistication or precise collocation required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that persist throughout the text. Examples include 'the student who take a pause' (subject-verb agreement error: 'takes'), 'can not be same with the student' (missing article: 'the same as'), and 'than this can build' (incorrect usage of 'than' instead of 'then'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct article usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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