Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-09
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 often argued that it is very favorable to accept a bad situation such as unsatisfactory job and shortage of finance. others section of society believes that there are better chances to work and improve this scenario, The essay dwells upon both point of view.
To begin with, some individuals think it is best to say yes to a bad situation like a job that never satisfied them or financial crises these problems can cause unnecessary pressure on the person health like anxiety or depression. It is a circle of emotion on which individual has to take control before impacting their personal and professional life, Not having money and good job creates a doubt in the mind of the person what he is doing wrong with his life which often leads to a wrong step these individuals such as suicide. for example : Employee join the organization for work life balance regardless, his manager often provides him work on weekends for low salary.
On the other hand, there are some people believe it is far better to make and improve such situation. They believe so because, In their opinion, there are certain planning and strategies that can solve these problems such as conditions in job contract and proper financial planning but it requires excellent financial skills so they have to work on them and make them better each and everyday which we called discipline and motivation for work hard in life. If they try to implement their plan according to situation then it might work for them.
To sum up, opinions vary from person to person . In my opinion people should try to cope up with these situations there will be a high chance if they had a proper planning of life and work if not they should keep their head up because at least tried.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion, meeting the basic requirements of the task. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding accepting a bad situation is confusingly linked to the extreme example of suicide, which lacks logical depth. The second body paragraph attempts to discuss strategies for improvement but remains vague, failing to provide concrete examples of how one might realistically improve an unsatisfactory job or financial situation. To achieve a higher band, you need to extend your arguments with more logical reasoning and clearer, more relevant examples that directly support your claims.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow between and within them is often disjointed. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'To begin with', 'On the other hand'), they are sometimes used incorrectly or in a mechanical way. The transition between sentences is frequently abrupt, and the use of punctuation is inconsistent, such as the comma splice in the first paragraph ('...improve this scenario, The essay dwells...'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of your argument. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'bad situation' and 'good job' repeatedly. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'shortage of finance' (better: 'financial hardship') and 'cope up with' (the correct phrasal verb is 'cope with'). Some phrasing is awkward, such as 'circle of emotion'. To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more academic vocabulary to express complex ideas, rather than relying on high-frequency, simple words.
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 clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('some people believe', 'individual has to'), missing articles ('the person', 'a job'), and incorrect verb forms ('Employee join the organization'). Punctuation is also a significant weakness, with several run-on sentences and comma splices throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be a good starting point.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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