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, young people want to experience a lot of things. They want to explore and want to learn different things; after that, they want to decide which path they want to choose. Some of them choose to take a year out between finishing school and starting university. As it's their life, I believe they should get a chance to know the world better and how real-life work goes on. They should meet new people, learn about new cultures, and then choose their goal according to their lessons.

It's not mandatory that the lessons must be acadamic, it can be academic and non-academic too. Some people think that the experience of a non-academic life cannot contribute to our educational life. But I personally feel that any kind of experience that gives us a lesson about life is beneficial for us. So, if anyone wants to take a year out, and roam around the world, travel and learn about people, or gain any work expereince and then they get back to their studies, its totally okay, even its better then just continuing studies for 10 to 12 years.

Some students choose a path randomly without knowing anything or without understanding their own preference, because of peer pressure or family pressure. Later, they regret about their decision and sometimes fail in the long run of success. But if they take a break from studies and choose to learn something new, that's better then regreting later. They will be able to learn how to choose their life goals and will be able to explore new things, new interests, or any hidden talent of their own. By working with new people, they will be prepared for their upcoming university life, where they have to work with different kinds of people.

Everything has advantages and disadvantages. I believe this has a lot of advantages, but if anyone only spends their free time partying or hanging out with friends instead of doing something meaningful, this non-academic lesson won't help them in the long run. So, everyone should take decision wisely.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing whether taking a gap year benefits students upon returning to education, and presents a clear personal position ("I believe they should get a chance to know the world better"). The ideas are relevant and supported with explanations regarding avoiding peer pressure and gaining real-life experience. However, some arguments tend to be a bit general or repetitive, such as the discussion on learning about new cultures versus finding hidden talents. While the main points are fully clear, further development with specific examples rather than generalised statements would elevate this to a higher band. Overall, the task is well addressed, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid 6.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the topic (e.g., personal growth, peer pressure, and caveats). However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or basic, such as the repeated use of transition phrases like "Some of them," "Some people think," and "Some students choose." Referencing is generally clear, but the links between sentences could be smoother and more sophisticated to achieve a higher band descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating everyday and academic-leaning ideas ("mandatory," "preference," "hidden talent"). There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, though these are occasionally marred by spelling errors such as "acadamic" instead of academic, and "expereince" instead of experience. Word choice is generally appropriate, and while there are minor inaccuracies ("regreting" instead of regretting), they do not impede communication. The lexical range is sufficient for a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional structures and relative clauses (e.g., "So, if anyone wants to take a year out..."). There are noticeable grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text, such as comma splices ("...and then they get back to their studies, its totally okay, even its better then...") and missing apostrophes ("its" instead of "it's"). However, these errors rarely impede overall communication, and the basic meaning remains clear throughout, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

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

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