Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-19

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)

Many young people decide to take a gap year between completing school and beginning university . During thid period , they may gain work experience or travel before continuing their formal education . I strongly agree that this non-academic experience can be beneficial , although it may also have some disadvantages.

The major advantage of taking a year off is that young people can gain valuable practical experience.Working before university can help student develop skills such as communination , teamwork , time management and responsibility.These skills are often difficult to learn in classrom. For instant , a student who work in a shop or restaurant may become more confident when communicating with different types of people.Such experience can also help young people understand the responsibilities of adult life.

Another important benefit is the opportunity to travel and experience different cultures.Travelling can make young people more independent and open minded because they have to deal with unfamiliar situation and communicate with people from different backgrounds.Moreover , a gap year can give students time to think carefully about their future career .Some students may discover new interest while working or travelling and consequently make a more informed decision about what they want to study at university.

However , taking a year away from education can also have drawbacks . Some students may lose their academic motivation or find it difficult to return to studying after such a long break .In addition , if a student spend a year without a clear purpose ,the gap year may provide little educational or personal benefit.Therefore , it is important foor young people to have a suitable plan , such as working , volunteerinng , travelling or a learning a new skills.

In conclusion , i believe that taking a gap year can provide significant benefits because it allows young people to gain practical skills , independence , and a better unferstanding of their future goals.Neverthless , its sucess largely depeng on how productively the year is used.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, exploring both the benefits and potential drawbacks of taking a gap year before university while maintaining a clear position of agreement. The writer's stance is evident throughout the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Ideas are adequately extended and supported with relevant examples, such as gaining practical skills in a shop or restaurant, and developing independence through travel. Although some points could be explored with even greater depth, the response fully satisfies the requirements of the task. The ideas presented are well-tailored to the prompt and show a logical development of thought, earning a strong band score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from the introduction to practical benefits, travel benefits, potential drawbacks, and finally the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'The major advantage', 'Another important benefit', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately. While referencing and cohesive links are generally well managed, occasional mechanical transitions prevent the response from reaching the highest bands, but overall cohesion is clear and logical.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task. Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of style and collocation, such as 'practical experience', 'independent and open minded', and 'informed decision'. However, there are noticeable spelling and typographical errors throughout the text, including 'thid' instead of 'this', 'communination', 'classrom', 'For instant', 'interest', 'foor', 'volunteerinng', 'ferstanding', 'Neverthless', and 'depeng'. These errors highlight an inconsistency in lexical control and accuracy, meaning that while the vocabulary range is good, slips in spelling limit the score in this category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating the ability to construct multi-clause sentences such as conditional and concessive structures ('although it may also have some disadvantages', 'if a student spend a year without a clear purpose'). There are several grammatical and mechanical errors present, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('if a student spend', 'its sucess largely depeng'), missing articles, and punctuation spacing errors around commas and periods. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout. The grammar control reflects a solid intermediate standard.

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