Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-07

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)

It is often argued that if youngster should explore the real word market before opting for their courses for higher studies and have a gap in between by getting work experience as well. I completely agree with that notion because it provides a wider prospect of their future which they intend to persue.

In this competitive world experience is more significant than having a qualification with excellent credentials. All the recognized Multinational and National companies prefer experienced co-workers instead of high achievers with no real world experties. For example a report published in Australia, in 2024, which states that almost 70% of students didn't get jobs just because of no internships during their studies or priorer to their studies.

One other aspect can be the selecton of the field, as youngster mostly prioritise the concerns of their families in regard for chosing best career options, instead of exploring the different areas which can be more effective in the future and can contibute more in the success. For example a survay was conducted in Punjab University in 2024, In which bachelor students were asked about their chosen programs and 40% of student didn't have a clear answer for their selection.

Thus i strongly believe that it is essential for students to take a small gap between their studies so that they can grasp real world expereince about before blindly opting for a career which might backfire later. this procedure can make the decision making abilty more precise providing them with signifincant benefits in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position in favor of taking a gap year. The ideas are relevant, focusing on the value of work experience and the benefit of informed career selection. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. While examples are provided, such as the report on Australian students and the survey at Punjab University, they are presented in a slightly generic way. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'why' and 'how' of these points, ensuring the link between the gap year and the specific benefits mentioned is more thoroughly explained and logically connected to the main argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. There is a progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive. For instance, the transition between sentences could be smoother; phrases like 'One other aspect' and 'Thus i strongly believe' are functional but basic. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, and the flow between the example of the Australian report and the main point could be more tightly integrated to improve the overall cohesion of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'credentials', 'multinational', and 'prioritise'. However, there are several spelling errors ('word' instead of 'world', 'experties', 'selecton', 'survay', 'expereince', 'signifincant') and some awkward collocations ('real word market', 'prioritise the concerns of their families'). These errors occasionally distract the reader. To improve, focus on proofreading for common spelling mistakes and expanding your range of academic collocations to demonstrate more precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('a report published in Australia', 'a survay was conducted'), subject-verb agreement, and punctuation. For example, '40% of student didn't have' should be 'students'. The sentence structure is often slightly clunky, such as in the opening sentence, which is overly long and grammatically fragmented. Increasing the frequency of error-free sentences and refining the use of complex structures will be necessary to achieve a higher score.

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

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