Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-18

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)

In some situations people argue and believe that it is best to accept the bad situation, as an example, a job you haven't wished for but working 9 to 5 or being financially prisoned. Getting paid for a small amount of income. Some argue that it is best to try to improve and motivate themselves in these kind of situations. To outcome and live better.

There are moments where people can fall into a pit where the life doesn't go how they've planned. For example, a student trying for visa but keep getting denied and missing his or her years of study due to the situation that is happening without their will. It could be best to accept that this path wasn't for them. And live on with the context of bad situation and not fullfilling their dreams. This can cause an unsatisfactored emotions, but it is best to accept the faith as it is.

Somehow, some people doesn't take a B plan and work even harder towards their goal and try their best to achieve or to improve the situations they are dealing. They don't accept the bad and work even harder. As my personal experience, my dream was to always study abroad. I first got rejected from my visa but I didn't give up. For two month prepared all my documents again, and I manage to get my visa accepted in one week.

In conclusion, I believe that whatever the situation you are in, it is best to try to improve the problem to a better life, goal or achievement. It is worth the pyshical and mental work and time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The explanation of why one might accept a bad situation is brief and lacks depth, while the counter-argument is supported by a personal anecdote that is relevant but could be more effectively linked to the broader societal context. The conclusion is clear, but the overall discussion remains somewhat superficial, preventing a higher score. To improve, you should expand on the reasoning behind each perspective with more detailed analysis or broader examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the transition 'Somehow, some people doesn't take a B plan'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the lack of sophisticated linking words limits the cohesion to a functional level rather than a fluent one.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choices or non-standard collocations, such as 'financially prisoned', 'unsatisfactored emotions', and 'accept the faith' (likely meaning 'fate'). These errors occasionally draw attention to the language rather than the content. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more natural collocations and precise terminology to express complex ideas, rather than relying on literal translations or slightly incorrect phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that persist throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('some people doesn't take'), incorrect verb tenses ('life doesn't go how they've planned'), and awkward phrasing ('the situation that is happening without their will'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to impact the overall clarity and flow of the writing. Increasing the accuracy of basic sentence construction is essential for improvement.

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.