Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-20

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 6.0)

Nowadays many young people choose to take a year drop between finishing school and starting university in order to gain work experience or to travel. I agree because having experience of non-academic life offers benefits to the individual when they return to education.

One main reason for dropping a year out is to gain work experience. Many students like to explore and understand how a job life works. A lot of people look for internship to gain experience out of it. As making yourself prepared for work can really help you in future difficulties. Also if joining a paid internship it can help an individual with some money and they wont have to ask their parents for it. For example, one can do a paid internship and save up some money for their university along with learning some work experience.

Another reason can be of travel, hobbies or spending time with family. Before going to university many young individuals think of travelling or exploring their hobbies to get a relief from study stress they had. Also many consider spending time with families would help them to get more close to them and enjoy before leaving for college. For example, an individual can explore in their life while spending time with their family and figure out what they want to do further in future.

In conclusion, I totally agree on taking a year drop between finishing school and starting university as it can be helpful if taking for some meaningful subject which might help further in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention work experience and travel, the arguments remain at a general level. For instance, the link between 'non-academic life' and 'benefits when returning to education' is mentioned in the introduction but not fully explored in the body paragraphs. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of how these experiences specifically improve academic performance or personal maturity. The conclusion is also quite brief and introduces a new condition ('meaningful subject') that was not previously discussed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'One main reason', 'Also', 'Another reason', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences can feel a bit mechanical, and some transitions are repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, but the connection between the ideas within paragraphs could be smoother. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each sentence builds logically upon the previous one to create a more cohesive argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on common phrases like 'gain work experience', 'spending time', and 'get a relief'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'year drop' (usually 'gap year') and 'job life'. To improve, aim to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to education and personal development. While your meaning is always clear, the range of vocabulary is somewhat restricted, which prevents the essay from demonstrating the flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'a year drop' instead of 'a gap year', 'look for internship' (missing article), and 'get more close to them' (should be 'closer'). Additionally, some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'As making yourself prepared for work can really help you in future difficulties.' To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and refining complex sentence structures. Increasing the accuracy of your grammar will help ensure that your ideas are presented with greater clarity and sophistication.

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

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