Band 9 model answer
It has become almost a rite of passage for graduates to undertake internships before securing permanent employment. On balance, I regard this trend as highly beneficial for individuals and society alike, although its value depends heavily on how such placements are structured.
For the individual, the advantages are considerable. Classroom learning, however rigorous, cannot replicate the tacit skills acquired on the job: communicating with clients, meeting deadlines and navigating office politics. A well-designed internship therefore bridges the gap between theory and practice, sharpening employability and helping young people discover which careers genuinely suit them before they commit. It also expands professional networks that often prove decisive when vacancies arise.
Society, too, reaps clear rewards. Employers gain a pipeline of candidates whose abilities they have already tested, reducing the costly mismatch between qualifications and the roles available. A workforce that transitions smoothly from education into productive employment strengthens the economy and lessens the burden of long-term youth unemployment, which can otherwise leave lasting scars.
The principal caveat is that internships must be fair. When placements are unpaid or purely menial, they entrench privilege, favouring those who can afford to work for nothing while exploiting others as cheap labour. Properly regulated and remunerated, however, work experience is an investment that benefits everyone. I therefore conclude that, far from being a passing fad, meaningful internships are a valuable mechanism for equipping the young and renewing the workforce, provided that access to them is genuinely open to all.
Examiner’s notes
- Task Response: the 'to what extent' prompt is fully addressed by quantifying the benefit ('highly beneficial') and qualifying it with the fairness caveat, giving a balanced yet decisive answer.
- Coherence and Cohesion: the structure cleanly separates individual and societal gains, with 'too, reaps clear rewards' and 'The principal caveat' guiding the reader through the argument.
- Lexical Resource: idiomatic and precise items like 'rite of passage', 'tacit skills' and 'entrench privilege' display the lexical range expected at Band 9.