Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

While many people argue that accepting the bad situations such as an unsatisfactory job or lack of money are better, others think that there is no need to accept such situations; and it is better to overcome those situations. In this essay, I will discuss both these views and will give my opinion.

On one hand, acceptance of bad situations is better than fighting. If the situation is uncontrollable, it is better to give up for a short period of time. Sometimes, with time it may be resolved. Also, it helps us to keep our minds calm. If not, it gives lots of stress and it increases anxiety, depression, and also it reduces a person's self-esteem as well. With the acceptance we can be adapt for the situation. As an example, if someone has a shortage of money, he can cut down some unnecessary purchases and save money. It helps us to identify the priorities of our lives and the waste that we have done so far. Furthermore, the competition among people is reduced by accepting the worst situations. So, we do not want to compare ourselves with others. It guides us to a more peaceful life.

On the other hand, we can overcome the bad situations. Most educated people find new ways to minimize hard aspects of their lives. When we try to find new paths, the new doors are opened. If we are not satisfied with our jobs, it increases the eagerness to learn a new skill and find another job. So, it helps us to enhance our job-related skills and finally helps us to reach higher positions in the job market. Also, if someone tries to overcome the problems, others also try to find solutions for their problems. So, gradually it spreads all over the society and the whole society may get a positive influence from that. Finally, the self-satisfaction is increased after overcoming an unsatisfied situation.

In conclusion, the acceptance of a bad situation is good because it reducess stress and the competition among people. On the other hand, when we try to overcome it, we can earn some new skills and it increases our self-esteem as well. In my opinion, I prefer to fight against the bad situations because it will make me a better person in the future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both views and give a clear personal preference: acceptance can reduce stress, while trying to improve a situation can build skills and self-esteem. The examples about cutting unnecessary purchases and learning a new skill to change jobs are relevant and help explain your points. This meets the task well, but the discussion is not equally developed throughout. For instance, the claim that acceptance reduces competition and leads to a more peaceful life is asserted rather than explained, and the benefits of taking action could be supported with a more specific example. Your conclusion restates the contrast and opinion, though the position would be stronger if you clarified when acceptance is sensible and when change is preferable. More balanced development and support would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. The progression from accepting a situation to trying to change it is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the organisation clear. However, some linking is mechanical, and several ideas are joined mainly through repeated “Also” and “So.” The reference in “If not, it gives lots of stress” is not fully clear, and “With the acceptance we can be adapt for the situation” interrupts the flow. To strengthen cohesion, use more varied links that show cause, contrast, or consequence, and make pronoun references explicit. Grouping related points more tightly would also help the paragraphs progress smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including relevant expressions such as “shortage of money,” “cut down,” “self-esteem,” “job-related skills,” and “job market.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and you attempt some less common vocabulary, including “eagerness” and “self-satisfaction.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “overcome the bad situations,” “the waste that we have done,” and “the competition among people is reduced.” “Reducess” is also a spelling error. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim to learn vocabulary in common combinations and choose wording that expresses the intended meaning directly, rather than relying on broad phrases such as “bad situations” throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional structures such as “If the situation is uncontrollable” and clauses beginning “When we try to find new paths.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, and the essay is generally readable. Some grammatical errors remain, however. For example, “accepting the bad situations … are better” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “we can be adapt” uses an incorrect verb form. In “If not, it gives lots of stress,” the conditional construction is incomplete or unclear. There are also occasional article and sentence-joining issues, as in “the self-satisfaction is increased.” Review agreement, verb patterns, and how you connect clauses. Greater accuracy in these areas, alongside your existing sentence variety, would improve control.

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.