Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-29

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)

Most of the youngsters take a break before starting higher education for either traveling or work experience. This serves as an advantage when they continue their studies. In my opinion, taking a gap year helps the student to evolve and gain interest for their respective field of study.

Although there are benefits to taking a year but it is to be considered that it can also cause loss of time or taking much longer time for the goal that the young person want to achieve. For instance, the university has different duration for each degree and when a student follows that specific timeline to complete their studies, then taking off can affect his timing for reaching that specific goal.

Conversey, students are often focused on how they will pursue their goals but they don't take into account on how they will attain it. Taking a gap year before starting university might be helpful in gaining insight on personal interests and experiencing real world work experience. In addition, due to continuous studies, a student goes under extreme pressure. Thus, it can also release stress of a student. For example, a person who is interested in medical as well as technoogy field then taking a gap to find their real passion can be beneficial for the young people. Moreover, under constant pressure a student might not be able to perform well in the higher studies and to cope with this, traveling and exploring different things can help.

In conclusion, a gap year is beneficial as it provides a wide view on how to achieve a specific goal however, it can also has its drawbacks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you consider a gap year beneficial, while acknowledging that it may delay a student’s goals. You address both the advantages and disadvantages, and the examples about exploring medical and technology interests and reducing study pressure are relevant. However, the drawbacks are developed mainly as a timing concern, while the benefits receive more explanation; the point about gaining work experience is also mentioned without a specific illustration of how it helps on returning to education. The conclusion restates your view but does not resolve the balance between these points. Develop each main reason with a clearer explanation or example, and make your degree of agreement explicit throughout, not only in the opening and conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on a drawback, a paragraph on benefits, and a conclusion. This gives the reader a general route through your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the second paragraph moves from the time needed for a degree to the effect on reaching a goal without fully explaining the link. Connectors such as “Although,” “Conversey,” “In addition,” and “Moreover” are used, but some feel mechanical or do not accurately signal the relationship between ideas. The reference in “it can also release stress” is also unclear. Use fewer, more precise linking expressions and organise each body paragraph around one main point, followed by explanation and an example.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “higher education,” “gap year,” “pursue their goals,” “insight,” and “constant pressure.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and you attempt some less common expressions such as “real world work experience.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “evolve” for personal development, “taking off” for taking time away from study, and “wide view” for a broader perspective. There are also spelling errors, such as “Conversey” and “technoogy.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision. Choose more natural academic collocations and proofread spelling; for example, describe students as gaining practical experience or clarifying their interests.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in “Although there are benefits…” and a conditional example beginning “when a student follows that specific timeline.” Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “the young person want to achieve” needs subject–verb agreement, and “it can also has its drawbacks” uses an incorrect verb form after “can.” In “a student goes under extreme pressure,” the sentence pattern is not well controlled, while “a person who is interested in medical as well as technoogy field” has problems with articles and number. Review modal verb patterns, agreement, and article use, then check longer sentences to ensure their clauses are complete and clearly connected.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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