Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-03
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)
Nowadays an increasing number of students choose to take a gap year to enrich their life experiences before they get enrolled in universities . Regardless of their motives, skipping an academic year can create a series of problems upon return. Let's find out what opportunities and consequences can follow in both cases.
Experience and knowledge go hand in hand, and having had exposure to both is the key to being competitive in today's labour market. But which one comes first? Some believe that education is the first step and should be the base of experience. For example, if someone is going to study International Relations, they can acquire loads of information about different countries, cultures through formal education. Later on, when they travel to the relevant destinations, they will be well educated about local traditions. The knowledge they have gained will be valuable in their travels. In another example, if someone wants to open a business, being equipped with formal know-how can be useful in handling problems that come along running a business. I can recall my very first internthip I did for a souvenir company, they asked me to do a sales forecast without formal education in business. I have to admit it was challenging.
Despite all the advantages formal education can offer, the biggest upside of experience is the creativity. The ability to figure out things by yourself. In fact it can be very fulfilling. Imagine learning about a new culture from local people not from the textbooks. Alternatively, figuring out how to do a financial forecast by yourself. How fun it can be!
In my opinion, there is no right or wrong way of doing things. Every person should be give the freedom of choosing how to learn.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt but lacks a clear, consistent position. The task asks to what extent you agree or disagree with the benefits of a gap year. Your introduction mentions both sides, but the body paragraphs focus more on a general comparison between education and experience rather than directly arguing for or against the benefits of a gap year for students returning to education. The conclusion is also somewhat neutral, failing to take a firm stance. To improve, ensure your main ideas directly support your thesis throughout the essay and provide more specific, developed examples of how a gap year specifically aids academic performance.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical flow is somewhat disjointed. While you use some cohesive devices like 'For example' and 'In another example', the transition between the benefits of formal education and the benefits of experience feels abrupt. The paragraphing is logical, but the internal progression of ideas within the paragraphs could be smoother. Some sentences feel like a list of points rather than a cohesive argument. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph builds logically upon the previous one to support your central argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'labour market', 'formal know-how', and 'sales forecast'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'internthip' (spelling error) and 'do a sales forecast' (which could be more naturally phrased as 'prepare' or 'conduct'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and ensure that your word choices are consistently natural and precise in an academic context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Every person should be give the freedom' (passive voice error) and 'I have to admit it was challenging' (informal tone). Additionally, there are minor punctuation issues, such as the space before the period in the first paragraph. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on mastering passive constructions and ensuring subject-verb agreement, while also aiming for more complex sentence variety.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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