Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-10

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)

Many people believe that a gap year between school and university is good to gain work experience or to travel. I agree with this opinion that there must be a gap year to get some experience. I proved my thesis in the following passage.

In this modern era, you have to be professional in any skill in order to earn livelihood. If someone have experience as well as education, he will be successful in his life. For instance, if a person have to get a job in any organisation he must need some qualification as well as experience.

Moreover, taking a year out between finishing school and starting university is also beneficial for mental health. Students are under heavy burden of daily school work and home work, which make them the victim of depression and anxiety. So, when they take a year off they feel much relaxed and confident as compare to other students.

Furthermore, this practice also help students to improve their skills and know their hidden talents. That thing creates more opportunities for individuals. Some people prefer traveling after completing school that make them get engaged with other cultures and traditions. They have new experience with new people. They become enough mature to know the reality of society. When they have some experience during their study they make many ways to earn for themselves and their families. That is a positive development in any society because young ones are the assets of any nation. So, when they start earning after completing higher education, this will help them in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating an agreement with the idea of a gap year. The main points—gaining work experience, mental health benefits, and personal development—are relevant. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For example, the argument about mental health is introduced but not fully explored in terms of how it specifically benefits the student upon returning to education, which is a key part of the prompt. The ideas are presented as a list rather than being deeply analysed. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or logical links between the gap year activities and the subsequent academic performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'For instance' to link sentences. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the discussion of mental health and the development of skills is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'That thing creates more opportunities', where the antecedent is vague. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear logical connections between sentences would enhance the coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on common, repetitive phrasing such as 'get some experience' and 'make many ways'. While you attempt some topic-specific vocabulary like 'professional', 'qualification', and 'assets', the overall range is limited. There are also some minor collocation issues, such as 'make them get engaged with other cultures' (better: 'expose them to other cultures'). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and idiomatic expressions related to education and personal development.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. For instance, subject-verb agreement issues are common: 'If someone have experience' (should be 'has'), 'a person have to get' (should be 'has'), and 'this practice also help' (should be 'helps'). Additionally, there are errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'as compare to' (should be 'compared to'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and verb forms.

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

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