Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-01

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)

It is hotly debated whether the acceptance of bad circumstances is a better choice or putting efforts to make the situation better, is the one. This essay is an attempt to discuss both viewpoints alongwith my own opinion.

Owing to the following reasons, acceptance of bad fate seems justifiable. The most prominent one is lack of potential to face the consequences of failure. To be more specific, people sometimes, try to adjust with their on-going bad situations because they fear to loose whatever they have when they think of their expected failure from the improvements they would have to made. simply put, in order to improve their situation, changes are important to be made which donot guarantee the success further, leaving a fear of failure in their hearts, ultimately leading to the acceptance of bad fortune. For example, if a financially unstable person thinks to change his or her unsatisfactory job, the fear of not getting a job immediately, scares him. Resultantly, they just choose to adjust with those unpleasant experiences.

Nevertheless, there are some convincing factors too, which favours the latter notion. The primary one is self-confidence and harwork. More precisely, f a person really wants to chane his misfortune and improve his condition, his determination and hardwork certainly pays off. Therefore, sometimes it is necessary to take risk at certain points of life to have better and secure future, later.

In conclusion, both the viewpoints have their own significance, personally, i am convinced that conditions can be improved with passion and

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The essay addresses both viewpoints, but the response is incomplete. The conclusion is cut off mid-sentence, which prevents the development of a clear, final position. While the introduction and body paragraphs introduce relevant ideas, the lack of a finished conclusion significantly impacts the overall task response. The arguments provided, such as the fear of failure versus the benefits of determination, are relevant but remain somewhat underdeveloped due to the abrupt ending. To improve, ensure that all parts of the prompt are fully addressed and that the essay reaches a logical and complete conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay uses basic cohesive devices such as 'Owing to', 'To be more specific', and 'Nevertheless' to link ideas. However, the progression is hindered by the incomplete final paragraph. Paragraphing is present, but the abrupt termination of the text makes the overall structure feel unfinished. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. To reach a higher band, focus on ensuring that each paragraph is fully developed and that the essay concludes in a way that synthesizes the arguments presented, rather than leaving the reader mid-thought.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. There are several spelling errors, such as 'harwork' instead of 'hardwork', 'chane' instead of 'change', and 'alongwith' which should be two words. The phrasing is sometimes repetitive, such as the use of 'bad' and 'situation' multiple times. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of more sophisticated or varied vocabulary limits the score. Using more precise synonyms and ensuring accurate spelling would significantly improve the lexical quality of your writing.

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 the flow. Examples include 'they fear to loose' (should be 'lose'), 'improvements they would have to made' (should be 'make'), and 'which favours the latter notion' (subject-verb agreement error: 'favour'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the errors do not completely prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and verb forms will help improve your accuracy.

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

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