Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-11

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)

Many young people choose to take a gap year after high school and try to get a job for work experience and some teenagers wants to do travelling after high school to explore countries. There are several advantages and disadvantages for pupils to take a gap year. We will discuss both sides in this essay.

Firstly, I strongly agree for taking a gap year. Pupils can do different types of jobs and they can get a work experience which will help them in the future. For example, In pakistan many people decide to do a job as compare to go to the univrsity and because of this they are already good on work and they get jobs early because of experience they got in a gap year. Moreover, some students decide to start travelling and skip their university. Travelling can help them to explore different cultures and tradition. For instance, In pakistan many pupils decide to go the northern side of pakistan after high school and they experience how this side people live their life. Which type of clothes they wear. How they celebrate their events and these things also help students to start communicating with everyone in a different ways.

On the other hand, It also have drawbacks. Young people may loose interest to cotinue their studies. For example, When students start earning in a young age they will decide to leave university. They feel like they are now independent and they don't have to start studying again. Secondly, In travelling it couldn't be budget freindly. Travelling too much will be very expensive. Some students don't have enough money to explore different cultures and tradition or to see breathtaking views for relaxation.

In conclusion, I would like to say that taking a gap year have pros suchas gaining work experience or try new things. It also have some cons like loosing interest to continue studies and will be expensive for travelling. Younger people should take a gap year but they should keep in things in their mind that they have to study and complete their education.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a relevant position in favour of a gap year and acknowledge drawbacks, so the response addresses the topic. The examples about gaining work experience and learning about life in northern Pakistan help illustrate your points. However, the task asks whether non-academic experience benefits students when they return to education, and this link is not consistently explained. The claim that some young people “skip their university” shifts away from the benefit of returning, while the conclusion mainly repeats advantages and disadvantages rather than clearly weighing them. Develop fewer points more fully: explain how workplace skills or cultural awareness could support university study, and clarify that your agreement concerns students who do return to education. This would make your position and support more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph presenting benefits, a paragraph on drawbacks, and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the main stages easy to follow. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and some links between ideas are unclear. For example, the travel example moves from observing clothing and celebrations to “communicating with everyone” without explaining the connection. The sentence fragments “Which type of clothes they wear” and “How they celebrate their events” also interrupt the flow. Use fewer formulaic transitions and connect each example explicitly to the point it supports; clearer referencing and complete sentences would make the overall progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “work experience,” “different cultures,” “independent,” and “breathtaking views.” There are also attempts to express specific concepts, such as exploring traditions and becoming familiar with working life. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors make the writing less precise. Examples include “do travelling,” “good on work,” “budget freindly,” and “loosing interest”; repeated use of “students,” “decide,” and “experience” also limits variety. Choose more natural phrases and check spelling carefully. For instance, “travel,” “gain practical skills,” and “affordable” would express your ideas more accurately and help you discuss the topic with greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “when,” and “which,” and the reader can generally understand your main message. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer constructions, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries are frequent enough to affect clarity. Examples include “some teenagers wants,” “It also have drawbacks,” and “taking a gap year have pros.” The fragments “Which type of clothes they wear” and “How they celebrate their events” should be joined to a complete sentence. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and forming complete clauses, then use complex sentences only when you can control their structure. Accurate basic sentences will make your ideas easier to follow.

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