Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-25

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)

Some individuals are overwhelmed with their bad situation leading to a mental breakdown as well as to abandon the attempts of improvement in their life, whereas other half believes in attempting to boost up the level of negative situations. This essay will explore both the perspectives and try to give a concrete conclusion.

Individuals who surrender occurs because of a mental breakdown as well as fear of failures. A person is highly bonded with the social infrastructure and try to gain appreciation from the social system and portray as a virtuous person as per the criteria set by the society. As a consequence, they avoid difficult situations because of losing their identity in the society which leads to a mental breakdown like depression leading to a lost of mentality which are responsible for motivation to tackle hard situations. As a result, critics believe individual tied to such conditions are often considered to move forward to mental breakdowns like depression and worsen up the situation.

Other critics argue that trying to improve such condition can lead to a fruitful future. I firmly believe with this statement because failure is a part of a existence and striving doesn't consequence on a loss rather gives a fair shot in encouragement of the situation. As a consequence, it can avoid similar conditions in upcoming part of span. Ultimately, resulting to a positive outcome despite any condition.

To conclude, trying gives a space and increase the chances to a success. However, surrendering will worsen up the situation guaranteeing to a mental disorders like depression as well as the failures.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The first body paragraph attempts to explain why people surrender, but the reasoning is repetitive and slightly unclear, particularly the phrase 'lost of mentality'. The second body paragraph is also quite brief and lacks specific, concrete examples to support the argument that striving leads to a fruitful future. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations and real-world examples, ensuring that the connection between your arguments and the prompt remains logical and easy to follow throughout the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression from the introduction to the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'whereas', 'as a consequence', and 'to conclude'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'As a result, critics believe individual tied to such conditions are often considered to move forward to mental breakdowns'. The referencing is occasionally unclear, which makes some sentences difficult to parse. Improving the variety and natural flow of your linking words will help your ideas connect more smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of unnatural collocations and word choice errors. For example, 'boost up the level of negative situations', 'highly bonded with the social infrastructure', and 'upcoming part of span' are not standard English expressions. While you attempt to use more complex vocabulary, the lack of precision often hinders clarity. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and using words in their correct context rather than relying on direct translations or overly complex phrasing that does not quite fit the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Individuals who surrender occurs'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'striving doesn't consequence on a loss'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction is often clunky. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence patterns and ensuring that your subjects and verbs agree. Proofreading for common errors like article usage and word forms will also help increase your score.

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

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