Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-17
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 argue that the best solution to an unrewarding work or shortage of income is to accept the worst situations. While others say that it is worth to change and improvise such scenerios. I believe that one person should make efforts and work hard to achieve the desired life. This essay will discuss both sides of the arguement, followed by my perspective.
On the one hand, few individual believe that the best way to handle the worst case, is to accept the reality of life.This is because, facing the bad situation with acceptance is good than avoiding it. As limited money is not a permanent scenerio but just a bad part or chapter of life, ignoring this can lead to more anxiety or stress for the specific things. A good example of this is, many poor people face crisis related to shortage of money that can put pressure and increase stress leading to health issues. Thus, a good alternative is to accept a bad situation than stressing over it.
On the other hand, people argue the best solution is to work hard to change the life. In other words, some individual rather than just accepting the reality, try hard to evolve their future by either changing jobs that satisfy and provide them enough. It is believed, that i
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to discuss both views regarding accepting a bad situation versus trying to improve it, providing a personal opinion in the introduction. However, the essay is incomplete, breaking off abruptly mid-sentence in the second body paragraph. Because the length requirement of 250 words was not met (the response contains 219 words) and the second viewpoint is left severely under-developed, the task is only partially addressed. The position is stated in the introduction, but the truncation prevents full development of ideas, capping the score at Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates some basic organisation, utilizing standard transition markers like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand' to signal structural shifts. Paragraphing is attempted, with an introduction and separate body paragraphs. However, overall progression is disrupted because the second body paragraph is unfinished. Referencing is sometimes unclear, as seen in phrases like 'for the specific things,' which lacks a clear antecedent. Cohesive devices are occasionally mechanical or repetitive, leading to a Band 5.5 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, but it is limited and sometimes imprecise. The student attempts less common items, such as 'unrewarding work' and 'anxiety or stress,' but also makes noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as writing 'improvise such scenerios' (likely meaning 'improve such scenarios') and 'few individual believe' (grammar and pluralisation error). Spelling issues like 'arguement' and 'scenerio' also appear. These limitations restrict the score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as using 'While others say that it is worth to change...' and conditional-style reasoning. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing plural markers ('few individual believe'), incorrect infinitive usage ('it is worth to change'), and awkward phrasing. Because the essay terminates abruptly, complex structures are often left faulty. Punctuation errors also occur, such as a missing space after a period in the second body paragraph, supporting a Band 5.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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