Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-31
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 people believe that it is best to agree with situations like unsatisfactory employment or shortage of money or resources. Other believe that it is important to try and improve similar situations. I think that both the views are correct but the second one is more crucial because if we can try then definitely we can improve our situations. Therefore, ahead of my opinion, both the views will be discussed further.
Some people believe that accepting bad conditions is beneficial like shortage of money because they think that it is the part of life and it will be improve with the passage of time. Although, it is a kind of belief among different peoples because they listened it from their forefathers. So they cannot do any thing or cannot try to make their life simpler.
On the other hand some people think that if they try then they can overcome from such bad situations and they also improve their own life by doing something like working hard or giving more time to their work. Such type of people are very intelligent and clever people because they can get success in their work by trying.
To conclude, that i discussed both views and my opinion is that both the views are correct because accepting the situation or trying something, is depend upon the situation sometime results came from work but sometime results came with time. So it is important to identify the situation and applying the right idea we can improve our situations.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is limited. The arguments regarding why people accept bad situations (e.g., 'listened it from their forefathers') and why they should improve them (e.g., 'working hard') are quite superficial and lack concrete examples or logical depth. To reach a higher band, you need to extend your ideas with specific explanations or real-world examples rather than repeating general statements. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments are underdeveloped, which restricts the score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'Therefore, ahead of my opinion' is an unnatural transition, and 'So they cannot do any thing' is a weak way to connect ideas. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between sentences feels repetitive. While there is an overall logical arrangement, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the occasional misuse of transitions prevent a higher score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'bad situations', 'good', and 'clever'. There are also some awkward collocations and word-choice errors, such as 'agree with situations' instead of 'accept situations' and 'results came from work'. To improve, you should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and collocations that demonstrate a wider range of expression.
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. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'results came from work'), incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'it will be improve'), and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalization of 'i'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors limits the score to the 5.5–6.0 range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.