Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-27
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 today's busy life, people are struggling to get into a job market and keeping their position maintained in the industry. In this condition there would be two possibilities a one can face, either getting into right industry with satisfactory salary or struggling with job role or lesser salary then expected. I will discuss my opinion on both the situations in forthcoming paragraphs.
Believing the argument stated by nearly half of the people that to accept the bad situation, such as unsatisfactory job role and and fewer salary, there could be such reasons behind that. Such as, one might not be able to migrate to other place due to family or health issue, has some to look after such as kids or older parents etc. In such conditionally scenarios one would left with no other option then accepting face of staying in unacceptable job market. This pressure can lead them to health issue such as anxiety and sleeplessness. Moreover, in such scenario it is believed that moving to another position could land worst situation then present one. This fear of landing becomes one of the reasons of prevention of trying out new opportunity.
On the other hand, one with the freedom with travel to another place and work far from home without any location constrains can receive good opportunity to land into desirable job market with satisfactory and required income. This conditional support becomes the biggest reason of trying out new opportunity rather then staying in unsatisfactory employment environment. However, it is not stated that exploring and trying out new jobs can land you to a good employment, one can land up with unsatisfactory employment while exploring for good one.
To summarize the discussion, it is subjective to shift to new environment based on family status, responsibilities and prefered location.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion, though the development is somewhat limited. While you identify reasons for accepting a bad situation (family constraints) and reasons for improving it (freedom to travel), the arguments lack depth and specific examples. The conclusion is brief and does not fully synthesize the points made. To reach a higher band, ensure that each body paragraph provides a clear, well-supported argument with concrete examples rather than general statements. The position is clear, but the overall development of ideas is somewhat superficial.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand' and 'To summarize', but the flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'This pressure can lead them to health issue', where the antecedent is slightly ambiguous. Paragraphing is present, but the final paragraph is underdeveloped and lacks a strong concluding thought that ties the entire essay together effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You use some relevant terms like 'unsatisfactory job market' and 'location constrains', but there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'landing becomes one of the reasons of prevention' and 'land up with'. Some phrases are repetitive, and the use of 'land' is overused in various contexts. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary to express your ideas more naturally.
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 occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'a one can face', 'fewer salary', 'in such conditionally scenarios', and 'one would left with no other option'. Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with pluralization and verb forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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