Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-02
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)
Everyone faces difficult situations once in their life. In that way, some individuals think that to cope with that situation, acceptance of that condition is the best. While others argue that tries to come out from that situation is a better option. This essay will discuss both the perspectives before presenting my opinion.
On the one hand, acceptance of the situations can be beneficial in certain conditions. Firstly, if taking action contains more risk then it is better to accept the situation instead of taking actions. For instance, the condition of overall market has not so good and many companies are laying off their employees, at that time rather than taking risk, accepting the unsatisfied job becomes better option.
On the other hand, it is an undeniable fact that constant efforts in a particular direction flips the situation. Therefore, many ambitious persons prefer to take actions to fight with that situations. In contrast, the majority of rappers had became celebrities and most of them are belongs from the slum area. For example, Emiway and Divine both started their journey from Antophill and Dharavi which are the most popular slum areas. At present both artist are representing their country India on an International level. Moreover, taking action also demands for the guts to take responsibility of that action. which makes person more responsible and mature.
In conclusion, being an optimistic without taking action seems illogical. A change must requires for some effort. That is why, I believe that to take action is a better option.
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 clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The argument for accepting a bad situation is supported by a relevant example regarding job security, but the explanation could be more nuanced. The second body paragraph uses specific examples of rappers to support the idea of taking action, which is relevant but slightly narrow in scope. While the prompt is addressed, the depth of analysis is limited, and the conclusion is quite brief. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand your reasoning with more varied examples and ensure the connection between your examples and the main argument is more explicit.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Firstly', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the example of rappers and the point about 'guts' is a bit abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'that situation' repeatedly. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally from the previous one will help improve your coherence score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'ambitious', 'undeniable', and 'optimistic'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'tries to come out from that situation' (should be 'trying to overcome that situation') and 'being an optimistic' (should be 'being an optimist'). Some phrases are also slightly unnatural, such as 'the condition of overall market has not so good'. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that you use words in their correct grammatical form. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise academic terms would also be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'most of them are belongs from the slum area' (should be 'most of them belong to slum areas') and 'A change must requires for some effort' (should be 'Change requires effort'). Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are areas that need significant attention. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy will help you improve.
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.