Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-09

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)

In today's modern world, many young adults are choosing to take a year gap after they finished school because they want to gain work experience or to travel before starting university. The experience or memory they are collecting before university can provide some benefits in upcoming years. I strongly agree with this statement because if they collect some experience in any field before starting their higher studies it helps them to choose a better field that they are interested during that period.

Firstly, as the technology is growing in a most fast paced way, so peple have to catch the technology so that they cannot fall behind the opportunities they are looking for. So, collecting some experience before starting university will be beneficial because it helps them to gain knowledge in which they want to build their carrer in the future. For example, if a student want to study engineering in future and if he want to gain some technical knowledge or any skills that he will use in future before starting university then it is probably beneficial because he can utilize that experience in his study and build a better carrer.

Secondly, if students want to pursue their carrer in one field and work in a different field, then it will definitely hampers their carrer. For example, if a student want to study computer engineering in university but in a gap year he works in a restaurant as a waiter then it will not be beneficial for him. However, he can be able to earn some money for his studies but in that case, his technical skills will not be developed.

In conclusion, I strongly agree that gaining experience in any field is important because it helps to boost confidence, learn different things about life and also helps to build networking with different peoplw, while gaining experence in one particular field that they are going to pursue in future will be more beneficial than gaining non-academic life experience.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you strongly agree that a year out can benefit young people, and you give relevant examples involving technical experience and earning money. However, the response only partly develops the task’s central claim about how non-academic life benefits students when they return to education. The first example focuses on experience related to a future career, while the restaurant example mainly explains why unrelated work may not help; neither fully explores broader benefits such as independence, maturity, or motivation in study. The conclusion mentions confidence and networking, but these points are introduced late rather than explained in the body. Develop each reason with a clear link to educational benefits and acknowledge that travel or unrelated work can also be valuable.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs signalled by “Firstly” and “Secondly,” and a conclusion. The examples generally follow the points they are intended to support, so the reader can follow the overall argument. However, progression is limited because the second body paragraph shifts from the benefits of a gap year to arguing that work in an unrelated field is not beneficial, without clearly connecting this contrast to the essay’s main position. Several links are mechanical, and the repeated “For example” pattern makes the development feel formulaic. The conclusion also adds several new benefits rather than drawing together the body’s reasoning. Make each paragraph advance one distinct reason and use clearer references between claims and examples.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “work experience,” “technical knowledge,” “higher studies,” and “technical skills,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated, particularly “gain experience,” “beneficial,” and “in future.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice problems, such as “peoplw,” “experence,” “carrer,” and “collecting some experience”; these reduce the accuracy and naturalness of the writing. Some collocations are awkward, including “choose a better field that they are interested” and “boost confidence.” Aim for more precise, natural expressions and check spelling carefully. Using varied terms for the gap-year experience and explaining its effects with specific vocabulary would make the argument clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if a student want to study engineering…” and a contrast introduced by “However.” This shows an effort to express relationships between ideas, but control is inconsistent, and errors recur in longer sentences. For example, “after they finished school” needs a tense form that fits the time relationship, while “it will definitely hampers” combines incompatible verb forms. Subject–verb agreement is also unreliable in “a student want” and “it helps them to choose.” Some sentences contain several clauses joined together, making the relationships harder to follow. Practise accurate conditional patterns and agreement, and divide long sentences where needed; this will improve clarity while preserving structural variety.

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