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)

Few citizens think that accepting the worse situation is a good thing such as unsatisfactory job or being poor meanwhile others think that accepting worse situation is not best we need to try and improve our situations.

Personally, i think both are correct. Sometimes we fall into a dire situation such as unsatisfactory job because of its pay we always think that this job is not suitable for me but still we can't find job anywhere else. So, in this situation we need to think positive if we can't find another way then why can't we make a way ourselves.

In my view, if we ever have to face that situation then we should focus on our work and try to improve ourselves that way you'll have a positive outcomes in future. Some people are right that we need to accept bad situation but that doesn't mean we just give up and fall back.

Accept your mistakes and try to improve is the best to earn things what you desire. Sometimes, the most successfull person also uninterested in their specific fields that is because sometime we get job that gave many apportunities in future but still we can't do that job for a lifetime because with the passage of time, we get bore out of it. So, if we want to achieve something in future it'll be better for us to choose that job that we enjoy to do even we have no experience in it.

Because if we are not expert in some field however enjoy ourselves we do it then with the passage of time we'll become expert in that field. Therefore, if we are expert in some field but never enjoy doing it then days passing by and we got tired of it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides a personal opinion, meeting the basic requirements of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding 'accepting a bad situation' is not clearly distinguished from 'improving' it, leading to a slightly confused position. The essay tends to drift into general advice about career satisfaction rather than directly discussing the philosophical tension between acceptance and change. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that directly relates to one of the two views presented in the prompt, followed by specific, logical support.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression between them is weak. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt, and the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical (e.g., 'So', 'Therefore'). Some sentences are disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of the argument. For example, the shift from discussing 'accepting bad situations' to 'choosing a job you enjoy' lacks a clear connective link. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph builds on the previous one would significantly enhance the coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is frequent repetition of basic words like 'job', 'situation', and 'field'. Some word choices are unnatural or incorrect, such as 'get bore out of it' instead of 'get bored with it' and 'positive outcomes in future' instead of 'positive outcomes in the future'. The student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary, but the lack of variety and occasional errors in collocation limit the score. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise synonyms and collocations would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the most successfull person also uninterested'), missing articles (e.g., 'find job'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'days passing by and we got tired of it'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and the lowercase 'i' when referring to oneself. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors is recommended.

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

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