Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-11
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)
In todays fast growing world, there is an rising issue that many adults wants to take a year gap after completing school education or they want to take a break from university, to attain work experience or to travel around the globe, thinking that non-academic experience might be beneficial for them when they return back to their studies.
Personally, I do not agree with the idea of skipping the education for a year. This can act as a big distraction, and you might lose your focus on studies, and your interest as well. And this can harm your education very badly, so instead of a year break you should take a week gap to get relax and fix things. Experience is not the only thing that you required in your career. For instance, many students who left their studies for work experience were not able to join their studies again.
When students return to their schools after taking a long gap they found education very boring and all of their focus will be on how to earn money, education is vital as the work, so first things come first. Work experience or travelling around the world is important but for that completing your studies comes first.
In conclusion, young pupils must finish their studies first and other things can be done later, as we know education is a main pillar and other things can be done after completing education, so every adult need to be careful and think twice before taking these major steps.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is limited. The arguments are somewhat repetitive, focusing primarily on the risk of losing focus rather than exploring the potential benefits of a gap year mentioned in the prompt. The examples provided, such as 'many students who left their studies... were not able to join their studies again', are assertions rather than well-developed illustrations. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced reasoning and explore the counter-arguments more thoroughly to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs feels abrupt. While the essay is coherent, the range of linking words is basic (e.g., 'In conclusion', 'For instance'), and some sentences are connected in a way that feels slightly repetitive. Improving the variety of cohesive devices would help the flow of the essay feel more natural and sophisticated.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'fix things' and 'get relax', which are informal and not entirely appropriate for an academic essay. Additionally, there are some minor errors in word formation, such as 'an rising issue' instead of 'a rising issue'. To improve, you should focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology to express your ideas more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder the flow. Examples include 'many adults wants' (subject-verb agreement), 'you required' (incorrect tense), and 'education is vital as the work' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage would significantly improve the quality of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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