Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-16

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 young people choose to take a year out between finishing school and starting university in order to gain work experiences or to travel. The experience of non-academic life offers benefits the individuals when they return to education. I completely agree with this statement because work experience is mandatory and useful for students who want to grow in their respective fields. Moreover, travelling the world refreshes the mind and students are fully motivated when return to education.

One reason I support this view is that work experience after finishing school is very helpful for students that are going to start university. By doing part-time jobs and side hustles, students realize the value of hard work and importance of earning. They realize the sacrifices of their parents as well. Moreover, it could help them saving up for higher education. However, travel to different places and exploring different cultures help students to learn about the world.

Secondly, students experience of non-academic life benefits them when they return to education because students realise the importance of higher education in universities. They learn from their experiences and realise that to achieve their goals and aim in life, they need to pursue education and get a degree that helps them to successful.

In conclusion, work experience or travel between finishing school and starting university is a good choice for students to realise the reality of this world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of the arguments. While the ideas regarding work experience and travel are relevant, they are somewhat repetitive and lack specific, concrete examples to fully support the claims. The conclusion is brief and does not fully synthesize the points made. To reach a higher band, you must expand your arguments with more detailed explanations and ensure you meet the minimum word count requirement to allow for full development of your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'Secondly' to link your points. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure feels a bit simplistic. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a more robust internal structure with a clear topic sentence followed by supporting evidence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You use common phrases like 'side hustles' and 'refreshes the mind', which are appropriate, but there is a lack of more sophisticated or academic vocabulary. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'help them saving up' (should be 'help them save up') and 'get a degree that helps them to successful' (should be 'helps them to be successful'). Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise academic collocations would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'students are fully motivated when return to education' (missing subject 'they') and 'students experience of non-academic life' (missing possessive apostrophe). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct use of articles, and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately.

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

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