Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-23

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 6.0)

Some people think that it is alright to stay in the circumstances you are not really comfortable with, such as doing a job you don't like or staying out of money while others beleive that you should always try for improvement and better conditions. We'll discuss both scenarios before I explain why I always prefer the mindset and the struggle for improvement.

On the one hand, there are people who are afraid of trying and taking any risks. They are satisfied with whatever they have even if it's not what their dream life look like. This specific behaiviour is mostly popular with elder people who have spent most of their lives and now they are happy with whatever they have. One of the reasons is that they don't have the courage and the energy to put efforts for something they would really like to achieve.

On the other hand, there are people who are never satisfied until the reach their goals. These kind of people always love to become better and improve their overall lifestyle and they keep trying for it. For example, a very famous businessman told in his documentary that he kept trying for 14 years straight until he established his first business and after that, his whole life changed. That's how things work when you have "never give up" attitude.

In my opinion, instead of settling for the less, one should always dream of something bigger and keep working for it. This is how he could help himself as well as the people around him.

In conclusion, I beleive that the people who always work harder, stay consistent and motivated to better their situations always stay ahead of the people who are okay with their unsatisfactory conditions.

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. For instance, the discussion on why people accept bad situations is restricted to a brief mention of 'elder people' and a lack of energy, which is a generalization. The example of the businessman is relevant but lacks specific detail to fully support the argument. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the consequences of these mindsets with more nuanced reasoning rather than relying on broad statements. The position is consistent throughout, but the depth of analysis needs to be increased to fully satisfy the requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. There is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to signal shifts in the argument. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be more sophisticated. For example, the link between the introduction and the body paragraphs is functional but could be smoother. Overall, the structure is easy to follow, and the paragraphing is appropriate for the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'mindset' and 'unsatisfactory conditions'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'beleive' (believe) and 'behaiviour' (behaviour), which detract from the overall quality. Additionally, some phrasing is slightly informal or repetitive, such as 'settling for the less' and 'staying out of money'. To improve, you should focus on more precise word choices and ensure consistent accuracy in spelling to avoid minor errors that impede the professional tone of the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are recurring grammatical errors. For example, 'These kind of people' should be 'These kinds of people', and 'until the reach their goals' contains a typo. There are also issues with article usage and prepositions, such as 'put efforts for' instead of 'put effort into'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring higher accuracy would help elevate the score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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