Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-15

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)

Many students prefer to take a gap year before getting enrolled in universities but there are individual variations of choices regarding spending that year. Some invest that time in gaining work experience while other may prefer reducing the academic burnout by travelling. The importance of both choices cannot be denied.

Many high school graduates prefer to take a break from the academic pressure and routine and invest that time in exploring the world to make good memories. It has some psychological benefits as it soothes the mind and body by releasing pleasure hormones, which later on increase their productivity when they return to their academic routine. On the other hand, the year of non-academic life and continued indulgence in travel and fun can strip them off productivity and discipline.

Contrary to this, some students choose to take a gap year to learn and polish some essential skills by working in any organization. Such people believe that work experience provides some pre-requisite skills to enter the university life. For instance, I had two classmates in university who were a year older than the rest of the cohort but they had knowledge of one or two programming languages and were skilled in typing, as they did internships before enrolling in the program. Work experience can also teach team collaboration, presentation skills and interpersonal skills which are also integral components of many undergraduate and graduate schools.

So, I agree to the viewpoint that taking a break from academic life and investing the year to travel or work experience can have sculptous benefits to the well-being and productivity of students but their should have discipline in their routines during the year off.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you agree that a year away can benefit students, while noting that discipline matters. You address both travel and work experience, and the example of classmates who gained programming and typing skills helps make the work-related point concrete. This is relevant and answers the question. However, the two benefits are not developed equally: the travel paragraph relies on a general claim about “pleasure hormones” and productivity, while the possible drawbacks of travel are mentioned but not explained. The conclusion also introduces the need for discipline without showing how students could maintain it. Develop these points with clearer reasoning and examples, and make the extent of your agreement more explicit throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall structure: an introduction, separate discussion of travel and work experience, and a concluding position. Transitions such as “On the other hand” and “For instance” help readers follow the contrast and example. However, some connections feel mechanical or unclear. “Contrary to this” signals a contrast, although the work-experience paragraph adds another option rather than directly opposing the previous point. The opening also lists the two choices without clearly previewing the argument that follows. Within paragraphs, ideas sometimes move quickly—for example, the travel discussion shifts from relaxation to productivity and then to loss of discipline. Use more precise links and explain how each point leads to the next to strengthen progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “academic pressure,” “work experience,” “team collaboration,” and “interpersonal skills.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the example gives you opportunities to use relevant terms. There are also attempts at less common or more formal wording, but some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “reducing the academic burnout,” “strip them off productivity,” and “sculptous benefits.” “Pre-requisite skills” is also not the most natural phrase in this context. These expressions do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and fluency. Focus on natural collocations and check word forms; choosing simpler, accurate phrasing is more effective than using an unfamiliar word incorrectly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “skills … which are also integral components” and a conditional idea in the conclusion. Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. For example, “while other may prefer” needs plural agreement (“others may prefer”), and “their should have discipline” should be “there should be discipline” or “they should maintain discipline.” In “Some invest that time … while other may prefer,” the plural reference is also inconsistent. The long final sentence would be clearer if divided or restructured, and the opening sentence could be made more direct. Review agreement, pronoun forms, and sentence boundaries while continuing to practise complex structures.

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