Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-19

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 gap of on year after finishing their school and starting university to have a work experience and to travel which helps them to relax. This non-academic life experience offers benefits the individual when they return to education. This approach has both the advantages and disadvantages for the students which i will discuss in this essay.

From my perspective, having a gap from studies after schooling is highly beneficial for young people. During this time, they find freedom to choose their field for next studies and it became remarkably straightforward for them to reach a decision rather than they are forced to select their field of studies by parent's choice. Moreover, they can also find some time for exposure to external world such as travelling and other social activities which develop a sense of confidence among them. They can explore the world which help them to broad their knowledge and improve their critical thinking. For example, In many European countries like USA and Canada young people are free to take their life decisions either about studies or practical life.

But on the other hand, I also disagreed by this approach to some extent because after having a gap, students can not focus on their studies when they return back to Learning. I think, Its a great loss for their studies and when they started to doing a job their tendency towards study alleviate to some extent because they just want to become independent by earning money.

In conclusion, The decision to choose a year out between finishing school and starting university is somehow beneficial as well as it also has some negative impacts on overall well being of students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of a gap year. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that a gap year helps with decision-making and confidence, the explanation remains superficial. The counter-argument regarding the loss of academic focus is also brief. To reach a higher band, ensure that each main point is supported by a clear, specific example or a more detailed explanation of the 'why' and 'how'. The inclusion of USA and Canada as examples is slightly inaccurate, as these are not typically cited as countries where gap years are a standard cultural norm in the way they are in some European nations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'But on the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between the benefits and drawbacks could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure would benefit from more sophisticated linking words to connect the ideas within paragraphs more fluidly. The paragraphing is appropriate for an essay of this length.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'non-academic life experience', 'remarkably straightforward', and 'critical thinking'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'alleviate' (which is used incorrectly here to mean 'decrease' or 'diminish') and 'broad their knowledge' (should be 'broaden'). There are also minor errors in phrasing like 'a gap of on year'. To improve, focus on using collocations more accurately and expanding your range of academic vocabulary to avoid repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the external world'), subject-verb agreement ('it became remarkably'), and verb forms ('started to doing', 'tendency... alleviate'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some issues with capitalization (e.g., 'Learning'). The errors do not significantly impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and verb patterns will help improve your accuracy.

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

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