Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-11-02

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)

A lot of people prefer a gap year before starting university in order to travel or acquire some work experience. This benefits them when they come back to education. Although, this helps them both financially and mentally when they step in their practical life. I strongly agree with the concept of taking a year off for experience.

The most significance reason is that it prepares them mentally how the world actually works and helps them to choose their field for the rest of their lives. In present time companies ask experience rather then a sheet of paper. Which leads the student gain some experience. World is rapidly changing AI is taking over humans a fresh student who used to study a lot but does not have any experience worth's a piece of paper. Therefore, it is mandatory to gain some experience in order to shine in future.

But there are some consequences that taking a year out is essential for students but it can be a wrong decision because it builds a huge gap for students to continue their studies. Many institutes consider the

student non-serious for his studies and some of them do not provide admission. This type of thing demotivates the student, making it harder for them continue their studies. That's why, it is also important to continue the education because many universities also provide their students experience during their studies.

In conclusion, taking a gap year plays a vital role if the student is confident he can handle the pressure but sometime it can be a worst nightmare for them and they have struggle much harder than before.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you strongly agree that a gap year can benefit young people, and you give relevant reasons, including gaining practical experience and making a more informed career choice. You also acknowledge a possible disadvantage: students may find it difficult to resume education or gain admission. However, the response addresses the topic only partially because the benefits are not fully explained, and the discussion of travel is absent. Claims such as companies preferring experience to qualifications and AI replacing workers need clearer explanation or a specific example. To strengthen the response, develop each main point with a concrete illustration and explain how it supports your view, while making your overall position consistent with the concerns you raise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the discussion moves from employers valuing experience to AI without showing the connection, and the sentence beginning “Which leads…” is not properly linked to the preceding idea. Linking phrases such as “Therefore” and “That’s why” are used, but some connections feel mechanical or do not clearly express the relationship between ideas. The conclusion also introduces a conditional position that is not fully established earlier. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each explanation directly to the point it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “gap year,” “work experience,” “practical life,” “demotivates,” and “admission.” These choices make your main ideas understandable. However, the range is limited in places, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “the most significance reason,” “shine in future,” and “a worst nightmare.” Spelling and word-form errors, including “rather then” and “worth’s,” also reduce precision. Aim to use more natural academic phrases and check that each word fits its grammatical form and context. More precise language for discussing career preparation and educational disruption would help you express your ideas with greater clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a contrast with “Although” and a conditional idea in the conclusion. However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “Although, this helps them…” is an incomplete or incorrectly connected clause, while “Which leads the student gain…” lacks a clear grammatical structure. Other issues include “helps them to choose their field” following an unclear sentence, “making it harder for them continue,” and inconsistent singular/plural forms such as “the student” and “students.” Improve sentence boundaries and clause connections first, then check verb forms, articles, and agreement. Clearer, more controlled sentences will make your argument easier to understand.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.