Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-12

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 5.0)

Nowadays, some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. But on the other hand, some people argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. According to my opinion, it is better to try and improve bad situations instead of accepting them.

To the beginning, people who believe that it is best to accept a bad situation such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money are those whose needs are being fulfilled in their current situations, but they do not tend to improve their situation. For example, one of my friend works in a railway department as a clerk. He earns enough to meet his needs so he is satisfied. He just need to pass one exam to be employed as a station head, but he never tried to attempt it. It is not appreciable. People should always try to improve their circumstances.

Furthermore, still there are some people who argue that it is better to improve their bad situation instead of being pleased on it. And this practice is appreciable all over the globe. People should not be satisfied with their awful living, they must try to make it better. Like, someone is living on a rent and he can easily able to manage rent but he should work more to buy his own home. It is better for himself and also for his family. Five years ago, my brother just had a bike. He could be satisfied on it but he work hard day and night to buy a car and he bought it.

As a sum up, there are two different statements. One is to accept a bad situation and be contented on it, other is to work hard to make the living better and great. In my opinion, everyone should burn the candles at both ends to make the lifestyle better and improved.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear opinion in the introduction—that people should try to improve difficult circumstances—and return to this view in the conclusion. You also include relevant examples, such as your friend who does not take an exam and your brother who worked towards buying a car. However, the discussion of accepting a bad situation is not fully explained: the first example mainly criticises your friend’s lack of ambition rather than showing why acceptance might be reasonable. The second view is supported more clearly, but its claims are broad and not sufficiently examined. Develop the reasons behind both positions, and make the contrast between them more balanced and explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

Your response has a recognisable introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the examples generally appear alongside the relevant view. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the first body paragraph moves from people being satisfied to judging your friend without explaining the connection fully. Linking phrases such as “Furthermore,” “And,” and “As a sum up” are either mechanical or awkward, while “To the beginning” does not clearly signal the paragraph’s purpose. The conclusion repeats the two positions rather than drawing together the discussion. Use clearer topic sentences, connect each example explicitly to its point, and vary linking devices so the argument develops more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “unsatisfactory job,” “shortage of money,” “circumstances,” and “satisfied.” There are also attempts at more expressive language, such as “awful living” and “burn the candles at both ends,” but some choices are inaccurate or unnatural in context. For example, “pleased on it” and “contented on it” do not express being satisfied with a situation, and the final idiom means working to exhaustion rather than simply making life better. Repetition of “better,” “situation,” and “improve” also limits range. Choose more precise collocations and use idioms only when their meaning fits your point.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “but,” “so,” and “who,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction. Examples include “one of my friend works,” “he just need,” “he can easily able to manage,” and “he work hard … and he bought it.” These errors make some sentences difficult to process and show limited control of the structures attempted. Practise subject–verb agreement and consistent tense, and avoid combining two forms such as “can” and “able to.” Proofread each sentence for a clear subject and correctly formed verb.

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.