Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
Some people believe that it is significant for individuals to take risks in their personal and professional lives. Although taking risks has some drawbacks, I believe the advantages of taking risks substantially outweigh the disadvantages, particularly for professionals.
There are several benefits of taking risks in both professional and personal lives. Working in a corporate job on a daily basis may not fulfil all of a person requirements and it is mandatory for them to work even if they are busy and sick. In contrast, when starting their own business, no one will force them to work if they are sick or busy with a family function. By building their own start up, they can retire whenever they want, and their business will run and they will make money after retirement and they can easily enjoy the rest of their life.
However, taking risks in personal and professional lives has some drawbacks. One of the major drawbacks of taking risks in professional life is the business failure, which can lead to serious financial problems and some employees may leave their jobs and take out loans to start businesses, but there is no guarantee that their businesses will succeed. For example, not every start-up is guaranteed to succeed. There are many employees who take risks but they end up making a loss.
In conclusion, although taking risks in personal and professional lives has some drawbacks, I believe the benefits of taking risks outweigh the disadvantages because taking risks can make people more independent and they can work whenever they want and have a better future after retirement.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to address the specific prompt provided. The prompt asks to discuss the choice between 'accepting a bad situation' versus 'trying to improve it'. Your essay focuses entirely on 'taking risks' in professional life, which is a different topic. While you mention that some people believe in accepting situations, you do not explore the arguments for acceptance (e.g., stability, contentment, or the difficulty of change). Instead, you pivot immediately to the benefits of entrepreneurship. Because you have not discussed the 'accepting a bad situation' perspective, the task is only partially addressed. To improve, ensure you explicitly identify and discuss both sides of the prompt before providing your own opinion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'In contrast', 'However', and 'In conclusion' to signal transitions. However, the logical progression within paragraphs is sometimes weak. For instance, the second paragraph jumps from the difficulties of corporate work to the benefits of startups without a smooth bridge. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'they' in the second paragraph, which could refer to either employees or business owners. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each sentence flows logically from the previous one would enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'mandatory', 'substantial', and 'guarantee'. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, particularly the phrase 'taking risks in personal and professional lives', which appears multiple times. There are also some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'fulfil all of a person requirements' (should be 'person's requirements'). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations related to the topic of career satisfaction and life choices, and avoid repeating the same phrases throughout the essay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally affect clarity. For example, 'no one will force them to work if they are sick or busy with a family function' is grammatically sound, but 'some employees may leave their jobs and take out loans to start businesses, but there is no guarantee that their businesses will succeed' is a bit run-on. There are also issues with pluralization, such as 'a person requirements'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are frequent enough to limit your score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and punctuation to improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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