Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-12

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)

Some people believe that it is best to accept your fate whether it is a bad situation, unsatisfactory job or no money left.In contrast other people argue it is always try and improve such situations.

Those people who believe and accept their fate ,just sit down and go with the flow not try or even think about to going against all the odds which they are facing in their lives.whether in the shape of job , money shortage or other things which they thought never going to better .Behind all these thinking there are multiple reasons first one is this type of people try everything in their life but nothing work out or they just lose hope even after one setback and did not have courage to stand again for youself ,for the betterment of their own life.

If we talk about the person who is standing on the other side of line who has courage and motivation if life give him thousand reason to give up .but they will find one reason to stand tall and fight for yourself , fight for better life which they are dreaming.That type of particular person knows everything has its own price .if you wanna live a good life ,you need to sacrifice on your comfort level .this type of people will achieve something great in life.

Here I want to put my personal example of never give up mindset .when I was in college during my first year, I thought I can not do pharmacy because it is too difficult .I need to switch my college where study curriculum will be easy for me and I will get my degree easily without giving yourself a stress.but at that specific moment my mother told me if I ran away from this stress today than in upcoming life I will choose or always finding easier path .easier path did not lead you the highest point of the mountain always the more difficult hike more beautiful view you get from the top .then I give exam and I pass easily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—accepting a bad situation versus trying to improve it—and provides the writer's own opinion, supported by a personal example. The position is clear throughout the essay. However, some ideas are somewhat under-developed, particularly in the second paragraph where the explanation of why people accept their fate is brief and repetitive. The personal example in the final paragraph is engaging and directly relates to the prompt. Overall, the response meets the core requirements of Task Achievement, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors where all parts are addressed with relevant ideas, though some could be extended further.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a discernible introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, paragraphing is somewhat problematic; the body paragraphs are very long and dense, combining multiple distinct points without sufficient separation. Cohesive devices are sometimes faulty, mechanical, or missing entirely, leading to abrupt transitions between sentences (for example, starting sentences with 'In contrast other people argue' or 'Those people who believe and accept their fate ,just sit down'). Referencing is also occasionally unclear. This level of cohesion and paragraphing fits the Band 5 to Band 6 range, settling at Band 5.5 due to the mechanical and strained use of cohesive elements.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases such as 'never give up mindset,' 'stand tall,' and 'sacrifice on your comfort level.' However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word formation, such as 'whether in the shape of job' instead of 'whether in the form of a job' and 'always finding easier path.' Spelling errors also occur ('for youself' instead of 'yourself'). While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the intended meaning, these frequent lexical inaccuracies keep the score at Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambition with conditional and relative clauses (e.g., 'if life give him thousand reason to give up'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring frequent errors such as subject-verb agreement issues ('if life give him', 'study curriculum will be easy'), missing articles ('in college during my first year'), and incorrect verb tenses or forms ('not try or even think about to going against'). Punctuation is also erratic, with missing capital letters at the start of sentences and misuse of commas. These frequent errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader, aligning the grammar with Band 5.0.

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

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