Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-22

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 6.5)

In contemporary society, many young individuals choose to take a year out between finishing school and starting university in order to gain work experience or to travel. I largely believe that the experience of non-academic life offers benefits to the individual when they return to education by building a stronger career foundation and improving their concentration.

One major benefit of taking a year out between finishing school and starting university in order to gain work experience is that it natures a stronger career foundation, which can have a substantial impact on the learner. Normally, young people choose their careers as they grow, which is basically out of interest in a specific field or after observing their role models. Meaning most of them may not how the exact field is. For this reason, when they take a year break in order to gain work experience, they may be able to see the clear picture of their careers, which can substantially bring about a positive change.

Furthermore, choosing to take a year out between finishing school and starting university in order to travel can significantly improve the learner concentration particularly when they return to education. This is due to the fact that schooling can put pressure on the learner which might lead to stress if not managed, thus affecting their concentration in education. Essentially, when learners take a break to travel, they may feel relaxed and re-energised, thus reducing stress that might have accumulated in school. As a result, they may concentrate more in their academics.

In coclusion, while many young people choose to take a year out between finishing school and starting university in order to gain work experience or to travel. I strongly believe that it helps them in building a stronger career foundation and improving their concentration.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position agreeing with the statement and maintaining it throughout. The two main ideas—building a career foundation and improving concentration—are extended and supported with relevant explanations. For instance, the writer explains how work experience clarifies a career path and how travel reduces academic stress. While the development is generally clear, the supporting arguments tend to be somewhat repetitive in phrasing and could benefit from more specific real-world examples. However, the overall task requirements are fully met, placing this comfortably in the Band 6.5 to 7 range. Because the ideas are well-selected and directly address the prompt with a clear position, a Band 7.0 is well deserved.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, beginning with an introduction, followed by two well-defined body paragraphs discussing work experience and travel respectively, and concluding with a summary. Cohesive devices are used adequately with markers such as 'Furthermore' and 'As a result'. However, there are some minor structural issues, such as the fragment 'Meaning most of them may not how the exact field is' in the second paragraph, and a minor punctuation slip in the conclusion where a full stop is used instead of a comma before the main clause ('...to travel. I strongly believe...'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, leading to a coherent overall arrangement that earns a solid Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'contemporary society', 'substantial impact', and 're-energised'. However, there are notable word-choice and collocation errors that prevent a higher score. For example, 'natures a stronger career foundation' uses the incorrect verb (likely meant 'nurtures' or 'builds'), and 'not how the exact field is' contains a missing verb ('know what the exact field is'). Additionally, 'in coclusion' contains a spelling typo. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is generally adequate to convey the intended meaning, matching the requirements for Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'when learners take a break to travel, they may feel relaxed...'). There is good control of complex structures, but several grammatical errors persist throughout the text. These include missing verbs, incorrect prepositions, and minor agreement issues, such as 'learner concentration' instead of 'learners' concentration'. Another example is the punctuation error linking the dependent clause in the conclusion. While these errors are noticeable and prevent a higher band, they rarely impede communication, allowing the response to secure a Band 6.0.

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

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