Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-26

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 7.5)

Many people have a belief that it's absolutely fine to live a miserable life with limited resources such as low-paying jobs or lack of money while others provide reasoning that we should always explore alternatives and focus on upgrading our living standards. I'll explain both the ideas along with my opinion and conclusion.

Most of us belong to the middle class families where it is very hard to live a nice and decent life. After studying for so many years, if a person receives a job opportunity in a small company, even it's underpaid, they should accept it and perform their duties to the best of their abilities because after a few years, they can achieve the required skills and experience which will assist them in securing a highly-paid job. If they aim for employment in the big companies without any prior experience, it is quite possible that they will remain jobless for many years.

On the other side, it's commonly believed that it is an excellent strategy to initiate a new startup. We should always seek those avenues which will make us financially independent. The best plan is to start our own business because the chances of getting more revenue are really high in it. In any job, even after working 16 hours a day, we will receive the same amount of fixed salary every month. However, in any business, we can expand our operations by working more number of hours. Furthermore, there is a freedom is running a business which job-holders can't dream of.

In my opinion, it's always best to gain work experience first by doing a job. Once we have the required experience and skills, we can easily start a business and our success rate will be extremely high. Most of the businesses, such as restaurants and retail shops, fail in early years because they don't have the required planning.

It can be concluded that, living a basic life is worth for a short period of time to gain necessary experience and skills. We should always aim for starting our own business in future instead of doing corporate jobs which will never add value to our lives.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.5
Lexical Resource7.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy7.0
Overall7.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both viewpoints and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, particularly the argument for gaining experience before starting a business. However, the development is somewhat uneven; the discussion on 'accepting a bad situation' is a bit narrow, focusing almost exclusively on entry-level employment rather than broader life circumstances. The conclusion is clear, though it makes a sweeping generalization that corporate jobs 'never add value,' which slightly undermines the nuance of the argument. Overall, the response is focused and maintains a consistent position throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central focus, and the transition between the two viewpoints is handled well using phrases like 'On the other side.' Cohesive devices are used effectively, such as 'Furthermore' and 'However,' though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother to better link the concept of 'experience' to the 'business' argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use less common items such as 'financially independent' and 'expand our operations.' However, there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'there is a freedom is running a business' (grammatical error affecting lexical flow) and 'perform their duties to the best of their abilities.' The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more sophisticated or precise vocabulary would be needed to reach a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer successfully uses complex sentences, there are persistent errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'even it's underpaid' should be 'even if it is underpaid,' and 'working more number of hours' is awkward phrasing. There is also a minor error in 'there is a freedom is running a business.' Despite these slips, the errors do not impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout. The control of grammar is generally good, but more error-free complex structures are required for a higher score.

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