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)

Nowadyas, some people think that accepting difficult situations, such as having an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money, is the best choice.However, others believe that it is better make an effort to improve difficult situations and find better opportunities.In my opinion, i believe that it is better to make an effort to improve difficult situations.

On the one hand, some people prefer to accept their bad sitations because they do not want to take risks.This is mainly because finding a job or looking for another opportunity can be stressful and difficult.For example, people who have a low salary may prefere to keep their current jobs because they are afraid of losing their only source of income.Furthermore, accepting a difficult situation can sometimes help people avoid stress and feel more comfortable with their lives.

On the other hand, i believe that trying to improve difficult sitautions is a bettee choice, one of the main reasons is that people can have a better future if they work hard and take opportunities.For instance, someone who is unhappy with their job can learn new skills or continue their education to find a better position with a high sallary.In addition, making changes can help people improve their confidence and independent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both views and state a clear preference for trying to improve difficult circumstances. The examples about keeping a low-paid job for security and gaining skills to find a better position are relevant to the question. However, the discussion is brief and the reasons are not developed in enough detail: for example, you mention that accepting a situation can reduce stress, but do not explain when this might be a sensible choice or balance its drawbacks. Your own position is stated, but the response ends without a concluding summary. The response also contains 205 words, below the required 250, so the task is only partially developed. Extend each main point with explanation or a specific example, and add a conclusion that reinforces your view.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction is followed by one paragraph for each view, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “For example” help readers follow the discussion. The ideas within each paragraph are generally related to its main point. However, progression is limited because the response stops after the second body paragraph, without a concluding paragraph to bring the discussion together. Some connections are also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “because” and “In addition.” Develop a clearer sequence within each paragraph—for instance, claim, explanation, and example—and use a wider range of linking and referencing expressions to make relationships between ideas more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “take risks,” “source of income,” “learn new skills,” and “better position.” However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, such as “sitations,” “prefere,” “bettee,” and “sallary.” Some phrases are also imprecise or unnatural, including “improve their confidence and independent” and “with a high salary.” These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall argument, but they reduce precision and control. Check spelling carefully and build a bank of accurate collocations for employment and financial circumstances, such as “job security,” “career prospects,” and “financial hardship.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple sentences and some longer structures, including a reason clause (“because they are afraid of losing…”) and a conditional example (“if they work hard and take opportunities”). The main ideas remain understandable, but there are some errors in sentence construction, punctuation, and grammatical forms. For example, “it is better make an effort” needs an infinitive marker, and “making changes can help people improve their confidence and independent” has an incorrect form after “their.” The sentence beginning “trying to improve… is a better choice, one of the main reasons…” joins two independent ideas with only a comma. Use full stops or suitable conjunctions to separate ideas, and proofread for sentence boundaries, articles, and consistent capitalisation of “I.”

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