Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-11
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)
Some people think that when faced with a difficult situation such as a bad job or a lack of money, it is better to accept it. Others beileve that people should try to change and improve such situatuins. This essay will discuss both views and give my opinion.
On the other hand accepting a bad situation can bring peace of mind. Constantly worrying about problems that cannot be changed easily can cause stress and unhappiness. For example if a person is in a low paid job but has family responsibilities ,accepting the job for the time being may be more practical than leaving it without another option. Acceptance also teaches focus on the positive aspects of thier life rather than complaing all the time.
On the other hand trying to improve a bad situation is often the key to progress. If people simply accept everything they may never grow or avhieve a better life. For example a person who is unhappy with his job can learn new skills, looks for good job or start a small business. Similarly a person with a shortage of money can learn to manage his expenses better and find extra sources of income.
In my opinion, acceptance is useful for mental peace in the short term, people should not accept a bad situation. They should try to improve it step by step. Acceptance should be temprory not permanent.
In conclusion, both accepting and trying to improve a bad situation have their advantages. I believe that making an effort to change is the better approach for long term success and happiness
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You address both views and give a clear opinion: acceptance can protect peace of mind in the short term, while trying to improve circumstances is better for long-term progress. The examples about staying in a low-paid job while supporting a family and learning skills to seek better work are relevant. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the acceptance paragraph explains its emotional benefit, but the improvement paragraph lists possible actions without showing in much detail how they could lead to change. Your position is also slightly confusing in “people should not accept a bad situation,” followed by “Acceptance should be temporary”; clarify that you support temporary acceptance while taking practical steps to improve matters.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, your opinion, and a conclusion. The examples generally follow the ideas they illustrate, so the overall progression is understandable. However, both main-view paragraphs begin with “On the other hand,” even though the first introduces the acceptance view; this makes the relationship between ideas less clear. The opinion paragraph also joins two complete thoughts with a comma, and the conclusion repeats the central position rather than adding a clear final synthesis. Use more precise transitions, such as “One reason to accept a situation is…” and “By contrast…”, and make links between your opinion and the preceding discussion explicit.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “peace of mind,” “family responsibilities,” “learn new skills,” and “extra sources of income.” These phrases help communicate the main ideas, but the range is somewhat repetitive, with frequent reliance on “bad situation,” “better,” and “improve.” There are also spelling errors that affect the accuracy of the vocabulary, including “beileve,” “situatuins,” “thier,” “avhieve,” “complaing,” and “temprory.” Some expressions could be more natural and precise: “looks for good job” is awkward, and “low paid job” would be better expressed as “low-paid job.” Build a wider set of topic-specific phrases and check spelling and collocations carefully.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional example beginning “If a person is in a low paid job…” and a relative clause in “problems that cannot be changed easily.” Most of the meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems are noticeable. For example, “a person who is unhappy with his job can learn new skills, looks for good job” shifts from “can learn” to “looks” and needs parallel verb forms; “Acceptance also teaches focus” is missing a grammatical link such as “people to focus.” In the opinion sentence, a comma joins two independent clauses. Review verb-form consistency, articles, and sentence boundaries, and use commas after introductory clauses, as in “For example, if…”
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