Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-22
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)
There has been some debate between two groups of individuals. One group believe that it is better to accept the situation. Whereas, other argue that it is better to try and improve such situations.
To Commence with, Accepting worst circumstances, such as unsatisfactory job or money shortage. Sometimes, person does not have much courage to face the situation and are afraid to tackle it because of the fear of it getting worse. For instance, a worker is not satisfied with the job also the income earned by them is not enough but instead of doing something for this they accept it and believe it will get better in future. Just because they do not have much confidence.
On the other hand, individuals who believe it is better to try and improve. In other words, it is better to try and fail instead of fail to try. For example, Someone is scared to ride a bicycle but if that person make there mind and to try the ride bicycle. Even if they did not learn to ride it or get injured during riding , Atleast they will not regret because they give it a try. It is better to face the situation and try to tackle it instead of not trying it and regreting it later, always try to handle the situation instead of ignoring.
To conclude, In somecase it is better to accept the situation but not always sometimes giving it a try can help on achieving goal or atleast get to learn something new.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides an opinion, though the development is quite limited. The arguments are somewhat superficial, particularly the bicycle example, which is not directly relevant to the context of 'unsatisfactory jobs' or 'shortage of money'. The position is clear, but the explanation lacks depth and specific, logical support. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your ideas with more sophisticated reasoning and ensure your examples are directly applicable to the prompt's themes. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between and within them is often mechanical. You use some cohesive devices like 'To Commence with' and 'On the other hand', but the transitions are sometimes abrupt or grammatically awkward. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the connection between the worker's lack of confidence and the decision to accept the situation could be more smoothly linked. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs needs more logical progression to guide the reader effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'unsatisfactory job' and 'money shortage' are used correctly, but there is a lack of variety and precision. You attempt to use some more complex phrasing, but there are errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'make there mind' (make up their mind) and 'regreting'. To improve, focus on using a wider range of synonyms and more precise academic collocations to express your ideas with greater sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There is a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. Frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction—such as sentence fragments ('Just because they do not have much confidence.') and subject-verb agreement issues—are present throughout the text. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to distract the reader. You should focus on mastering basic sentence structure and proofreading for common errors like missing articles and incorrect verb forms to improve your clarity.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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