Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-02

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)

There are number of young people who take a year off to start thier university to gain some experience. There could be various pros and cons.

If we tak about the advantages, I strongly believe that taking off a year could be a great step to gain some experiece before taking a huge step of their lives. When you enter university, You are bound to complete your degree within 4 years. There could be so much stress either of daily attendance or completeing assigments. In my opinion, you should gain some practical life experience so this can give you the ability to understand things in more balanced way.

if i talk about my personal experience, I did not take any off. I was so disappointed later, Because students who took off and had gained some work experience was more confident and polished. I was so disappointed with the decision later, I thougt If had taken a year off, I might have learned alot of valuable lessons or meet someone who could have helped me for my career.

On the other side, some people just waste their year without thinking of any benefit from any opportunity. They miss what life offers at the moment so it hinders them to continue their academic journey in an easiest way. When student decide to stay free for a year, they start developing lazy habits so their mind can not take any sort of pressure. Ultimately, they face problems.

In conclusion, I would say that It really depends on the type of experience and work you decide to carry on before starting your uiniversity. Everyone's way of precieving things is different. It dependson how someone can use their abilities to gain maximum positive outcomes from provided opportunities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the pros and cons of taking a gap year. You clearly state your position in the second paragraph, supporting it with personal experience. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that students who take a gap year are 'more confident and polished,' this point could be expanded with more specific examples of how these skills translate to academic success. The conclusion is a bit generic and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To improve, ensure each body paragraph has a clear topic sentence and more detailed supporting evidence to fully explore the implications of your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In my opinion,' 'On the other side,' and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. Additionally, some transitions between sentences are abrupt, such as in the third paragraph where the connection between your personal experience and the broader point about career lessons could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring better flow between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'practical life experience' and 'academic journey.' However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and spelling errors, such as 'thier' instead of 'their,' 'tak' instead of 'talk,' and 'precieving' instead of 'perceiving.' The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on common words rather than more sophisticated or academic alternatives. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure careful proofreading to eliminate basic spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, they often contain errors in punctuation and subject-verb agreement, such as 'students who took off... was more confident' (should be 'were') and 'When student decide' (should be 'students'). There are also issues with capitalization and missing articles throughout the text. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the flow of the essay. To improve, focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and consistent use of articles, and try to incorporate a wider variety of error-free complex structures.

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

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