Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-03

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 generation, a job and money is the most significant part to live a life peacefully. Some people believe that it is better to live in a poor condition with a job which is not good enough. I strongly agree that by working hard anyone can improve such situations. I will discuss both views through this essay.

To begin with, if a person is suffering from shortage of money and a job which does not meet their academic standards are the most helpless creatures. They must have to thing about how to get out of the critical situation they are living in. People pay huge amount of money on their studies so they should find the job which can be helpful to them as a job experience in future if they apply somewhere else.

Moreover, only they can help themselves to get out of their situations by working hard in their studies or by following their passion and achieving it which helps them to earn large amount of money. After completing studies, people can work somewhere else which did not align to their studies which atleast helps them to earn some money but side-by-side they also have to find a job in their field. By following this path, people can survive properly in their life but they have to work hard because someone said that "Everything can be achieved by working hard".

In conclusion, I would like to say that, if people do not want to survive in a bad condition they will find their own way to become a person once they have imagined.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both sides of the prompt, but the development is quite limited. While you state your position clearly in the introduction, the arguments provided in the body paragraphs are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the second paragraph focuses on the 'helplessness' of those in bad jobs, but the explanation of why people might choose to accept such situations is underdeveloped. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or nuanced reasoning for both perspectives before concluding. The essay remains focused on the topic, but the ideas are not fully extended.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the phrase 'are the most helpless creatures' in the second paragraph does not follow logically from the previous sentence structure. Additionally, the transition between the idea of accepting a situation and the idea of working hard to improve it could be smoother. The progression of ideas is present, but the connections between sentences are sometimes forced or unclear, which affects the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'live a life peacefully' and 'get out of the critical situation'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'did not align to their studies' (should be 'align with') and 'a job which is not good enough'. While your meaning is clear, the lack of variety and occasional imprecise word choices limit your score in this criterion. Incorporating more academic collocations would significantly improve your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'a job and money is') and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'they must have to thing about'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are errors in sentence construction that make some parts of the text difficult to parse. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence patterns and ensuring that your complex sentences are grammatically sound, particularly regarding verb forms and prepositions.

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

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