Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-30

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)

These days, 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 when they return to education ,is the smartest move .But what is the most effective method for dealing with this choice is getting a work that adds up to your growth and helps to reflect those skills on your resume. I completely agree with this and in this essay i will support my opinion with an example.

Firstly, the ending of getting an academics degree rests on getting a perfect job which is very hard because most of the companies hire people with experience and freshers as interns, where this method of getting a job and experience comes in very handy. For example two of my friends, one having the experience got a decent job and pay and the other one with no exposure to the job market was just hired as an intern for 6 months and final decision was to made after assessing his 6 months performance. If he would have got some skills and a part time or a remote job it would have defenately helped him.

On the other hand if vice versa is done it can be clearly seen in the example what happened with my other friend.

In conclusion, although the beliefs differ. I believe to take a year out before entering a university will help you in the end if not initially. Personally i think it a fabulous method for the betterment of oneself as it not only helps u in getting job but helps you get a different type of life experience.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the benefits of a gap year for employability, the arguments are repetitive and rely on a single, slightly confusing anecdote about two friends. To improve, you should expand on the 'non-academic' benefits mentioned in the prompt, such as personal maturity, cultural awareness, or financial independence, rather than focusing solely on job prospects. The conclusion is brief and does not fully synthesize the points raised, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by awkward phrasing and unclear transitions. For instance, the transition 'On the other hand if vice versa is done' is vague and fails to connect effectively to the previous paragraph. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Firstly' and 'In conclusion', the internal flow within paragraphs is often disjointed. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the argument's development. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each sentence builds logically on the previous one would significantly enhance the coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'getting a job' and 'perfect job' repeatedly. There are also some instances of unnatural collocation, such as 'ending of getting an academics degree'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and the occasional misuse of words limit the score. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise synonyms to express your ideas more professionally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede readability. Examples include 'getting a work', 'final decision was to made', and 'defenately'. Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and missing articles. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of these errors suggests a lack of control over more complex structures. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring correct verb forms will help improve your score.

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

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