Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-13

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 recent decades, the world has witnessed technological revolutions, inventions and global shifts. These developments illustrate how societies and their individuals function. Some argue that it is important to take risks in both aspects of life,professional and personal while others contend that it is not compulsory

to do that.

On the one hand, having success in future it is essential to take risk now. Iconic organization owners and businessmen often took huge a risks in the past to become a globally recognized person. For instance, Amazon owner Jeff Bazos and Apple ceo Steve Jobs started their campanies without any support, resigned from employments and took a major risk in their lives. Many times they faced challenging situations, stress and anxiety but they never gave up. Currently, these organizations are generating billions of dollars in revenue and profit.

On the other hand, numerous individuals failed and lost countless money in order to take risks. They took wrong suggestions and advice, quit jobs, invested their money in dubious schemes and got scammed and fraudulent . For instance, the operator of a well-known organization called gulberg housing scheme offered their 5 acres plot in just 54 thousand dollars through advertisements on billboards, social media ads and sponsoring cricket tournaments. Greedy citizens invested money in order to double it in one night but they got scammed.

In conclusion, taking risks often ruins some lives or also sometimes changes their lives with growth. From my perspective, I strongly believe that people should take risks according to their status and must have a strong backup.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on accepting bad situations versus trying to improve them through risk-taking, and provides a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. The ideas are generally relevant, using examples like Amazon and local housing schemes to illustrate the arguments. However, the connection to the specific prompt wording could be tighter, as the prompt discusses accepting 'bad situations such as unsatisfactory jobs or a shortage of money,' whereas the response frames this more broadly around 'taking risks.' The main body paragraphs explore the positive and negative sides of risk-taking adequately, but the development remains somewhat generalized and could be extended further. Overall, the task is addressed satisfactorily, aligning with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs presenting contrasting views, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used to signal shifts, such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand,' which helps guide the reader. However, paragraphing is somewhat hindered by the lack of a distinct paragraph for the writer's personal opinion, which is instead appended to the conclusion. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally imprecise, and the progression between sentences can feel slightly mechanical. Despite these minor structural flaws, the logic of the argument remains understandable throughout, warranting a Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting less common items such as 'technological revolutions,' 'globally recognized,' and 'dubious schemes.' However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form, such as 'lost countless money' instead of 'lost countless amounts of money,' 'got scammed and fraudulent' where an adjective is misused, and spelling errors like 'Bazos' (Bezos) and 'campanies' (companies). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.5, as the frequent lexical slips prevent the descriptor requirements of Band 6 from being fully and consistently met.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, such as 'having success in future it is essential' (awkward phrasing and missing preposition), 'took huge a risks' (article and pluralization error), and 'offered their 5 acres plot in just 54 thousand dollars' (preposition and article errors). Punctuation and sentence boundary errors also occur. Because these errors require the reader to occasionally re-read parts of the text to grasp the intended meaning, the response fits best within the Band 5 descriptors.

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

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