Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-10

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 5.5)

It is widely argued among people that it is ok to accept bad situation as it is and live with it while a number of people believe thats if you have a bad situation you have to work hard and struggle to improve those situation and with time they will eventually get better.

Personally, I beleive that it is not a good option to accept a bad situation and live with it beacuse when a person accept that nothing can not be done he loses all his hopes and keeps cursing the position he is in instead of trying things which may improve his situation. A person who keeps trying regardless of the odds will eventually find a better path with time and it will make his situation much better compared to his past. The main reason is because he never lost hope in himself, he kept trying and trying untill he found a path which made his condition better and it doesnt happen instantly it gradually starts with time when a person is fighting again all odds, little by little it improves and later that person realizes how far he has come in life.

Meanwhile some people argue that it is ok to to accept the condition you are in. These are mainly those people who have given up in life after 1 or 2 failure they give up and blame it all on their fate that it was meant to happen with them and now whatever they do it will not change their situation. These people also demotivate other people by telling them about their experiences and make them afraid to take risk in their life by taking to make it better.

The conclusion is that people should never lose hope in themselfs and always keep striving in their life and eventually with time their situation will start improving and one day when they look back they will realize how far they have come in life. It is ok to sometime loss hope thats what human beings are but they should never give up on themselfs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you argue that people should keep trying to improve difficult circumstances, and you explain this through the idea that persistence can lead to a better path. You also mention the opposing view, describing people who accept their situation after failure. However, the discussion is uneven: the case for acceptance is presented mainly as giving up and blaming fate, rather than explaining why acceptance might sometimes be sensible—for example, when circumstances cannot be changed or when acceptance protects wellbeing. Your supporting points about persistence are also repeated rather than developed with a specific example. To strengthen the response, represent both views fairly and support each with a concrete reason or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for your opinion and the opposing view, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is limited: the second paragraph repeats the idea of continuing to try and gradually improving, while the third largely repeats that people who accept their situation have given up. Linking expressions such as “Meanwhile” and “The conclusion is” are used, but they do not always create a clear relationship between ideas. Some references, including “those situation” and “they,” are not consistently clear. Organise each paragraph around one distinct reason, then explain it and give an example; use linking phrases only where they clarify the connection.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including “accept,” “improve,” “lose hope,” “failure,” and “take risk.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are repeated, particularly “situation,” “trying,” and “better.” Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal, such as “cursing the position,” “fighting again all odds,” and “demotivate other people.” Spelling and word-form errors, including “beleive,” “themselfs,” and “loss hope,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise phrases and check spelling carefully. For instance, you could describe someone as “resenting their circumstances” or say they “persevere despite the odds,” which would express your ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses beginning with “when” and “because,” so there is some variety. However, complex sentences are often difficult to control, and frequent errors affect clarity. Examples include “it is ok to to accept,” “when a person accept,” and “nothing can not be done”; these contain repetition or problems with verb agreement and negation. Articles and plurals are also inconsistent, as in “accept bad situation” and “those situation.” Several sentences run on, especially the long explanation beginning “The main reason is because,” where punctuation and clause boundaries need attention. Practise building accurate sentences with one main idea and a correctly formed subordinate clause, then check agreement, articles, and punctuation.

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