Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-19

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)

some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation such as unsatisfactory job or shortage of money while others argue that it is better to try and improve such situation. in my point of view, accepting bad situation is better than not putting efforts every individual has their on philosophy whether they want to accept or not. every individual is different in many terms . significantly, it is better to try and improve such situation by pushing oneself for own betterment .

I strongly believe that , when you're going through a bad situation in your life try to never give up as long as will power allows you. every situation is not always under the control of human but trying too deal with it is the best way to improve that situation rather than letting go .

In my opinion, both views are right but how you deal with it , how much you are encouraging yourself to be in a best situation. hardships are part of life . life is like a roller coaster ride , happiness and sadness goes parallel in life .

so try to fight with it rather than ignoring the situation . for example, in my life I have seen so much ups and downs but I need give-up . I try my best to achieve those things that I dreamed of in my life .

in the end , life is like a book you may go through many chapters that will gives you tremendous experiences .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument, but the development is superficial. While you state your opinion, the ideas are repetitive and lack specific, well-supported examples. The prompt asks for a discussion of both views, but the arguments provided are vague and rely on clichés like 'life is like a roller coaster.' To improve, you need to provide concrete reasons and examples for why someone might choose to accept a situation (e.g., mental health, lack of resources) versus why they should strive for change (e.g., personal growth, long-term stability). The current response lacks the depth required for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay lacks clear paragraphing, which makes the progression of ideas difficult to follow. There is a lack of cohesive devices; sentences are often linked by simple punctuation or lack transitions entirely. For instance, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt. While there is an attempt to use 'In my opinion' and 'for example,' the overall structure is disjointed. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and use a wider variety of linking words such as 'furthermore,' 'consequently,' or 'on the other hand' to connect your ideas logically.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. You frequently use basic terms like 'bad situation' and 'life.' There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'try to fight with it' (better: 'confront the challenge') and 'I need give-up' (which is grammatically incorrect and lexically weak). The range of vocabulary is insufficient to express complex ideas precisely. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more academic collocations and precise terminology related to the topic of personal development and resilience.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('an unsatisfactory job'), subject-verb agreement issues ('happiness and sadness goes'), and punctuation errors (spaces before commas). The sentence structures are mostly simple or contain errors when attempting complexity. For example, 'every individual has their on philosophy' contains a spelling error ('on' instead of 'own'). To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensure correct use of articles and prepositions, and proofread for common spelling mistakes and punctuation placement.

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.