Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-30

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)

Nowadays, taking a break between finishing school and starting university in order to gain work experience or to travel is becoming an increasingly important issue in many parts of the world. While some people believe that It can cause negative effects on students and their studies, I completely agree with the view that students should travel or get real work experience in between their school and college life.

There are several reasons why I hold this view. The primary reason is that students will get to know about finances and resource management. This is

because students will learn how to manage their expenses day to day activity with minimum resources. For example, if a student works for a year before university, they can understand how real workplace and projects function. Therefore, traveling and experiencing before starting new journey is crucial.

Another important reason is that traveling allows students to improve valuable soft skills. In other words, communication with strangers and making decision by themselves is the skill that student will only learn by exploring new things. For instance, traveling alone forces young people to communicate with locals and make independent decisions to avoid unnecessary expenses and better resource management. As a result, students will be more confident and motivated without any fear.

In conclusion, although attending university directly after completing the school may have some merit, I believe that students should explore the real world and travel because they will learn resource management and soft skills which is essential for individual lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position agreeing with the prompt and discussing the benefits of a gap year, such as financial management and soft skills development. The position is maintained throughout the essay. However, some ideas lack full extension and rely on somewhat generalised examples. For instance, the discussion on finances mentions managing expenses with minimum resources, but the example provided immediately shifts to how working helps one understand workplaces and projects, which slightly disrupts the logical flow of development. Nevertheless, the main tenets of the task are well-covered, aligning with the criteria for Band 6.5 to 7.0. Given the solid stance and relevant supporting points, a score of 6.5 is well-deserved.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a logical overall organisation with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs focusing on distinct points, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as 'The primary reason is', 'Another important reason is', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and transitional links occasionally feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, as seen with 'This is because students will learn...' and 'As a result, students will be more confident'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. While progression is clear throughout, the somewhat formulaic transitions prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Overall, the coherence and cohesion of the text comfortably meet the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0, and a score of 6.5 is appropriate.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'finances and resource management', 'soft skills', 'independent decisions', and 'unnecessary expenses'. There are occasional attempts at less common vocabulary, but some word choices and collocations are slightly unnatural or inaccurate, such as 'experiencing before starting new journey' (missing articles) and 'making decision by themselves' (pluralisation error). Spelling is generally accurate, but the lexical limitations and occasional imprecise collocations place this response firmly in the Band 6.0 category, where the vocabulary is sufficient for the task but shows notable flaws in precision and flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional structures ('if a student works for a year before university, they can understand...') and subordinate clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors involving articles, subject-verb agreement, and pluralisation, such as 'it can cause negative effects' (where 'it' refers to taking a break, but the antecedent is slightly loose), 'day to day activity' (should be plural), and 'skill that student will only learn' (missing plural). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical errors recur frequently. Because simple sentences are often error-free while complex attempts introduce frequent minor slips, the response fits the Band 6.0 profile.

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

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