Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-17

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)

It is often argued that young generation finds it worth it to take a gap between completing school and starting university in order to gain some work and travel experience. This exposure may benefits the non-educational students when they start education again. I completely agree with this statement because this gap helps the learners to become independent and more knowledgeable, and also it gives a great exposure of life.

On the one hand, gap between education brings many positive changes in pupils' lives. It creates' millions of job opportunities for fresher in hotels, restaurants and transport. For example, In many developing countries' students are more likely to take a year gap to make themselves independent because this act helps to prepare them for future challanges. Although, it demonstrates some good effects. As a result, gap between studies' make learners more confident and efficient.

On the other hand, long gaps in education make students less attentive and less active. When they remain free for a long period of time they become less efficient in every field of life. For instance, when people have so much free time they become couch-potato and less consistent. They find everytrhing boring. Therefore, they remain idle for the rest of their lives and miss the opportunities that life has to offer them.

In conclusion, I completely agree with this statement while certain people think that students are not supposed to take a gap between their studies. in my opinion. It offers great opportunities through experience in this way they understand things efficiently. This benefits the individuals and society as a whole.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear in the introduction and conclusion: you agree that a gap year can benefit young people. You also identify relevant benefits, especially independence and gaining experience, and acknowledge a possible drawback. However, the response only partially develops the task. The first body paragraph focuses on job opportunities but does not explain clearly how work or travel experience helps students when they return to education; the claim that it makes them “more confident and efficient” needs a specific explanation or example. The opposing paragraph describes idleness rather than examining when a gap year might be harmful. Develop each main point with a clear link to university study and a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and signposts such as “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help identify the contrast. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven: the discussion moves from job opportunities to independence and then to confidence without clearly showing how these ideas connect. Some linking phrases are awkward or do not express the intended relationship, such as “Although, it demonstrates some good effects.” The conclusion also repeats the position but its ideas are not smoothly connected. Use topic sentences that state one main point, then explain and illustrate it before moving to the next idea; choose linking expressions for their precise meaning.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “independent,” “job opportunities,” “confident,” and “consistent,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, word-form and spelling errors make parts difficult to interpret. For example, “non-educational students” does not clearly describe people returning to education, while “gap between education” and “gap between studies” are unnatural phrases. There are also spelling errors such as “challanges” and “everytrhing,” and “couch-potato” is too informal for this essay. Build a more accurate set of topic phrases and check spelling and collocations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause with “because” and a time clause beginning “When they remain free.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, articles, plurals and punctuation. Examples include “This exposure may benefits,” where the verb form is incorrect, and “gap between studies’ make,” where the subject and verb do not agree and the apostrophe is misplaced. The final sentence fragment, “in my opinion,” also interrupts the conclusion. Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and correctly formed verb, and use full stops and commas to separate complete ideas. More accurate control of these basics will make your meaning easier to follow.

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