Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-25

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)

After graduating from high school, some students take a gap-year before starting university either to gain work experience or for travelling. I strongly agree that taking a year out provide benefits to the students when the continue studying. Following paragraphs provide arguments in support of my opinion.

After years of unpredictable and extensive studies, students are at the risk of extreme burnout. Taking a year off helps the studnets get relaxed and reduce stress. Moreover, in todays era where skills are more important than degree, gaining real world work experience gives the students necessary technical skills which help them later in their life. Also, doing some kind of work makes the people financially independent and stable from an early age and it helps them to support their family. For instance, taking a gap year is a very common practice in Pakistan. Students take a gap year to get mentally relaxed. Some also gain work experience through part time jobs or paid internships which gives them useful skills and make them financially independent.

On the other hand, some people are against taking a year out from university because they think that its just a waste of time. According to them, the time spent in travelling or gaining work experience should be spent studying in the university. As an illistration, people in Islamabad start their university immedietelt after finishing high school to avoid wasting their time.

In conclusion, wheather taking a gap year to gaining work experience or to travel is a good idea or not, is a widely debated topic. But I think that it is highlt beneficial to do so as it encorporates the practical skills required for the jobs in the people from an early age and it also makes them economically stable.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction (“I strongly agree”) and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address both the benefits of a gap year and the opposing view that it wastes time, and you support your points with relevant examples, including work experience and the Pakistan and Islamabad contexts. This gives the response a solid, relevant answer to the task. However, some ideas are more fully explained than others: the benefits of rest and financial independence are asserted, but the link between these experiences and improved performance after returning to university could be developed further. The counterargument is also brief and is not directly answered. Explain why the benefits outweigh the delay to strengthen the development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph supporting your view, a paragraph presenting an opposing view, and a conclusion. The progression is generally easy to follow, and signposts such as “Moreover,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers recognise the stages of the argument. Some linking is mechanical, however, and the second body paragraph mainly reports the opposing view without connecting it back to your position. The phrase “Following paragraphs provide arguments” is also an awkward preview rather than a natural transition. Improve cohesion by linking each example explicitly to the point it supports and by responding to the counterargument before moving to the conclusion. Clearer referencing between ideas would make the progression more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “work experience,” “burnout,” “technical skills,” “financially independent,” and “paid internships.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and there are attempts at more specific language. However, the range and control are uneven: phrases such as “get relaxed,” “in todays era,” and “incorporates the practical skills” are unnatural or imprecise, while “year out” and “gap year” are repeated. Spelling errors such as “studnets,” “illistration,” “immedietelt,” “wheather,” and “encorporates” are noticeable and weaken accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe students as “recover from stress” and say a gap year “develops practical skills.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional relative clause in “skills which help them later in their life” and a contrast introduced by “On the other hand.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “taking a year out provide benefits” needs subject–verb agreement, and “when the continue studying” is missing the correct pronoun. The conclusion’s “whether taking a gap year … is a good idea or not, is” has an awkward clause structure and unnecessary comma. There are also errors in verb forms and sentence construction, such as “to gaining work experience.” Work on agreement, infinitive and gerund patterns, and sentence boundaries, while retaining your attempts at complex structures. More consistently accurate sentences would improve control.

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