Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-18

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)

Everyone faces difficulties and bad situations in this contemporary society. Some individuals have this perception that the best way to cope with situation like unsatisfactory job or financial problems is to accept them while others beleive that the better way is try to enhance the quality of those situations. In this essay I will discuss these two opinions prior to my own opinion.

To commence with the first opinion. Some people have ths point of view that we should just accept unsatisfactory situations that happen in our lives rather than thinking about different solution to improve it. For instance, if a person does not like his major subject in university, he may continue studying it instead of altering his major. Hence he has to study that unlikeable subject.

Another view people have is that we should try to ameliorate the state rather than being pessimistic and just accepting it. They have this perception of making things better by using different strategies rather than relying on the unfavourful situation. For instance, if a person who just joined a football club finds out later that he is not good enough in football. According to this view he should improve his playing skills by practice or find some other ways to improve that rather than feeling ashamed. Personally, I also agree with this perception.

To sum up, every individual has his on way of thinking and his own way of solving situations. In this essay we have discussed the two major views people have about seeing situations like some beleive acceptance is the only solution to deal with unfavourable situation but on the other hand some beleives that one should ameliorate that situation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on how to handle difficult situations and providing a clear personal opinion. The introduction outlines the plan, and the body paragraphs present relevant arguments with examples, such as continuing with an unliked university major or dealing with a lack of football skills. However, the ideas are somewhat limited and under-developed, relying on basic examples rather than deep elaboration. The writer's position is clearly stated in the third paragraph, meeting the core requirements for a Band 6.0 performance under Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, separating the introduction, two body viewpoints, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Another view', and 'To sum up' are used to guide the reader, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, though there are minor issues with cohesion in the concluding paragraph, such as referencing the essay itself ('In this essay we have discussed...') rather than synthesising the core ideas smoothly. Overall organisation aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'contemporary society', 'ameliorate', and 'pessimistic'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('beleive' instead of believe, 'ths' instead of this, 'unfavourful' instead of unfavorable) and slight awkwardness in word choices or collocations, such as 'solving situations'. Despite these slips, the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main ideas clearly, matching the standard for a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure through clauses like 'if a person does not like his major subject...'. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, such as 'cope with situation' (missing plural/article) and 'try to enhance' (missing 'to' or awkward phrasing in context). While these errors occur regularly, they do not severely impede overall communication, placing the response solidly in the Band 6 category.

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

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