Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-16

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)

Human brains are very adaptable. While a strong emphasis is on the theory that every individual is different but capacity to survive in different situtations and evolve can be seen in humans since centuries. From horse carriages to travelling by air, we as humans have come a long way. If an individual wants to improve their lifestyle or way of living, with right tools, resources and persistent efforts they can significantly see a positive impact. I believe that accepting a bad situation is giving up before even trying. It is definitely better to try and improve such situations.

Sometimes due to unfortunate circumstance or lack of resources you don't have an option other than accepting situation, but it does not mean you have to stay stuck for a long time in the same loop. Take Steve Jobs as an example, he was a university drop out and during that time given up and just accepted his fate rather than trying. Fortunately, he did not and give his best to improve his situation and he actually succeeded. Another name proving this theory is Bill Gates, coming from a humble background but changing his situation to being one of the richest person on Earth.

A human is not bound to quietly accept his or her fate without even coming out of the comfort zone, they will never get to know what they can achieve without trying. Willingness to improve and to thrive for betterment can do wonders for an individual. From riding a cycle to Roll Royce we may never know what we can achieve if humans don't try

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—that of accepting a bad situation and that of trying to improve it—while clearly stating the writer's own opinion that it is better to improve such situations. Ideas are generally relevant, such as referencing the adaptability of humans and citing examples like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. However, these ideas are somewhat under-developed and lack depth. The examples are stated briefly without extensive elaboration, and there is a tendency to drift into broad generalisations about human progress rather than strictly focusing on the core dilemma of unsatisfactory personal circumstances. Furthermore, the introduction is slightly unfocused, spending time on general human adaptability before reaching the prompt's central theme. Consequently, the response meets the requirements for Band 6, where all parts are addressed, but some ideas remain under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a discernible progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised, separating the introduction, the discussion of examples, and the concluding thoughts. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally faulty or mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases are sometimes missing or awkward, such as starting the second paragraph with 'Sometimes due to unfortunate circumstance or lack of resources you don't have an option...', which lacks smooth integration. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, and the mechanical repetition of sentence structures impedes a completely fluent flow. While the logical organisation is adequate for a Band 6, the management of cohesive devices lacks the flexibility and skill required for higher bands.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'adaptable', 'persistent efforts', 'unfortunate circumstance', and 'humble background'. However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, along with spelling errors. For example, 'situtations' is misspelled, 'give' is used instead of 'gave' in the past tense ('did not and give'), and the phrase 'thrive for betterment' contains an awkward prepositional collocation (it should be 'strive for betterment'). The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the writer's meaning, but the presence of noticeable errors in word formation and choice keeps the score at Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. For instance, conditional and concessive clauses are attempted, such as 'While a strong emphasis is on the theory that...' and 'If an individual wants to improve...'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent, and frequent errors in grammar and punctuation can cause some difficulty for the reader. There are issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, as seen in 'he was a university drop out and during that time given up and just accepted his fate rather than trying', which contains a fragmented and faulty predicate. Another error occurs in 'if humans don't try', which disrupts the conditional structure. These persistent errors place the response firmly in the Band 5 category.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.