Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-16

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 young people who choose to take a year out between ending school and begining university to gain work experience or to discover new places around the world can assist them as soon they return to learn again. I strongly agree with this view because take one year off can help individuals know their selves better and to give a considerable time for choosing the next approch which it is very important for student future career.

The main reason why I agree with this view because students are usually haven't discovered themselves properly. Learners are likely don't have the time to know what they like due to the continous learning system that every student follow. They study hard every year to pass their exams and to graduate which leads to less focussing of his approch. As a result, by offording a one year break from the eduction sector, peoples will start learning new things and exploring theirselves which will benefits them when they return to collage.

Another crucial factor is decision making, educators nowadays are strugling with their future approch which it has to be made in a short time period, this will make students choose the wrong specialty which they will regret it in the up comming years. Thus, by providing enough time to pick the suitable approch, Individuals will be more successful in their career. Consequently, taking enough time for this important decision will benefits peoples when they return university.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that taking a one year rest will bring several benefits to the students in their future accademic education.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing the topic of taking a gap year and clearly stating a position agreeing with the prompt's premise. The writer supports this stance with arguments relating to self-discovery and decision-making for future career paths. However, the development of these ideas remains somewhat repetitive and limited. Phrases such as 'know their selves better' and 'choosing the next approch' are restated in various ways across paragraphs rather than being extended with distinct, well-developed supporting examples. The position is maintained throughout, but the reasoning lacks the depth and fully articulated support expected at higher bands. Therefore, the response aligns best with the Band 6 descriptors, as all parts are addressed with relevant ideas, but some points remain underdeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion appropriately. The writer attempts to use cohesive devices and logical connectors such as 'The main reason why', 'As a result', 'Another crucial factor', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'The main reason why I agree with this view because students are usually haven't discovered themselves properly' contains a grammatical linking error. Furthermore, pronoun referencing like 'which it is very important' creates clunky connections between clauses. Paragraphing is present and functional, but the flow between sentences occasionally stumbles due to awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions, placing it securely at Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating ideas about education, career choices, and personal growth using terms like 'specialty', 'eduction sector', and 'decision making'. However, there are numerous lexical and spelling inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'begining', 'approch', 'offording', 'eduction', 'exploring theirselves', 'strugling', 'up comming', and 'accademic'. While these errors do not severely impede communication because the intended meaning remains clear, they reflect limited control over less common vocabulary and spelling conventions. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the core arguments, fitting the Band 5 descriptor criteria closely for lexical range and accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and subordinate structures such as 'young people who choose to take a year out...' and 'students who are usually haven't discovered themselves properly'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak throughout the response, featuring frequent errors such as subject-verb agreement issues ('students are usually haven't discovered'), tense inconsistencies, and faulty clause structures (e.g., 'choosing the next approch which it is very important'). Punctuation is also problematic, with run-on sentences joined by commas instead of proper conjunctions or full stops. Because complex structures are frequently faulty and errors recur across the text, causing some difficulty for the reader, the writing corresponds to a Band 5 score for grammatical range and accuracy.

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

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