Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-21

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 5.0)

I agree ,many young people choose to take a break between finishing school and starting university.

Everything has its own advantages and disadvantages. Taking break is also good thing because if students take break after their intermediate exams then they can go outside.They can give time to themselves. They feel very happy and relaxed. Students can visit many places during this period of time .They can also gain experience about many other things so if I observe it from this point of view then taking break between college and university is also good for some extends.

It has also some disadvantages. In my opinion taking break of a year can make things wrong. Students habit of reading totally disturb because the environment changes. They can not focus on studies and also they can not easily manage things.

I will give share my experience . I can rememeber that when I completed my intermediate exams then I decided to take a break of one year. One year was not short time period. The reason behind this was I took a break because I was totally bored and I wanted to visit outside and wanted to go on a trip with my family. After that I realized that my routine was totally changed. After that I did not follow any type of time table and my habits were totally changed. Through this break i enjoyed very much but on the other hand I also disturb my own studies. It take a long time to settle again.so in my opinon taking a break after college and before going university is not a good decision you can enjoy but at the same time you will disturb your studies and also your career.

In conclusion I will say that students should not take break after college. They can enjoy easily when the completed their studies .So they should focus on their career before enjoyment. They can also enjoy when they become successful in their lives.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource4.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear final view that taking a year out is generally not a good decision, and your personal account of returning to study provides relevant support. You also acknowledge benefits such as relaxation, travel and gaining experience, so the response engages with both sides of the topic. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the benefits are listed rather than explained in relation to how non-academic experience could help students when they return to education. The disadvantages are more prominent, but claims about disrupted study habits and career effects need clearer explanation or a specific example. Keep your position consistent from the opening and develop each main reason with a clear link to the question’s claim about benefits after returning to education.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to benefits, disadvantages, personal experience and a conclusion. The personal example is placed where it can support your argument, and phrases such as “on the other hand” signal contrast. However, progression is sometimes repetitive: the ideas about changed routines and disturbed studies appear several times, while the benefits paragraph does not lead clearly into the later argument. Linking phrases such as “After that” are used repeatedly and do not always show the precise relationship between ideas. Improve the paragraph flow by giving each paragraph one clear purpose, using a wider range of accurate transitions, and making references such as “this break” or “things” more specific.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including “advantages and disadvantages,” “experience,” “routine” and “career.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise, such as “visit outside,” “things were wrong” and “disturb my own studies.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “rememeber,” “opinon” and “disturb” where a different form is needed. These choices sometimes make the reader work to understand your meaning, even though the overall message remains clear. Build a more precise vocabulary for education and personal development, and check spelling and collocations when revising. For example, describe how a break affects study habits rather than relying on general words such as “things.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, including conditional phrasing (“if students take break…”) and contrast (“but on the other hand”). This gives the response some variety, but complex sentences are often faulty and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. Examples include “Students habit of reading totally disturb,” “It take a long time to settle again,” and “when the completed their studies,” where possessives, verb forms and sentence structure are not controlled. Punctuation and spacing also make some sentences difficult to follow. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles and past-tense forms, then build longer sentences from two correctly formed clauses. Proofreading each sentence for its subject and main verb would help.

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