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)

Few individuals think that accepting bad situation such as a job with which they are not happy or financial issues is best, however others believe that we should try to overcome this situation.I would agree that we should try to change the situation and make it better.

Firstly, people are disappointed and stuck in unsatisfactory jobs and have financial difficulties which they believe they could never come over and at last they give up.The reason behind this could be the mindset of the people which has already accepted the situation and would not want to fight for better outcome.Furthermore, the experience of their sub-ordinates which has made them overwhemled to take risk. For Example, my brother is a An Electrical Engineer and he works 9am to 9pm and gets a minimal salary what an engineer should be working for.He has been watching the layoffs in the various different companies which made him stayed in the same company for 4 years, and never tried for another organisations which could have gained him more salary and allowance and financial conditions could have been improved.

Secondly, many other people argue about it and it is always adviced to take necessay steps to improve the financial issues or hunt for desired positions rather than accepting it and living your lives which could have been better with might be trying multiple time dedicatedly.This helps individuals improve their confidence and they come out of their comfort zone.For example, I had been working in an organisation for almost 2 years and there were other employee in queue for the promotion, I got an opportunity to showcase my talent and skills and made that project a succefull project of the quarter.The higher management and clients were were impressed and end up promoting to the next level.

In conclusion, few people have an opinion to be accept the job which is unsatisfactory or shortage of money.On the other hand some people believe to oversome these situations.I would agree it is best that we try and overcome the challenging situations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that of accepting a bad situation and that of trying to improve it—while clearly stating their own opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are extended with relevant examples from personal knowledge and experience, such as the example of the brother's career and the student's own workplace promotion. However, some arguments lack full clarity and depth, such as the brief explanation of why people give up. There is a slight tendency to overgeneralise or drift into personal narrative rather than broader social discussion, placing this submission comfortably in the Band 6.5 to 7.0 territory. Overall, the response fulfills the task requirements effectively with a clear position maintained throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, following a standard four-paragraph essay structure with an introduction, two body paragraphs representing different views, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes mechanical or clunky, as seen in sentences like 'Secondly, many other people argue about it and it is always adviced...'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but the flow within paragraphs occasionally stumbles due to run-on sentences and punctuation slips. This warrants a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'unsatisfactory', 'financial difficulties', and 'showcase my talent'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'bad situation' instead of 'a bad situation', 'come over' instead of 'get over' or 'overcome', and 'employee in queue' instead of 'queued for' or 'in line for'. Spelling errors also occur, such as 'adviced' (advised), 'overwhemled' (overwhelmed), 'organisations' (organisations used with article issues), and 'succefull' (successful). These errors do not seriously impede communication, reflecting a solid Band 6 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures often contain errors. Examples of grammatical lapses include missing articles ('as a job with which...', 'is an Electrical Engineer'), incorrect preposition usage ('gain him more salary'), and awkward phrasing ('made him stayed'). Punctuation is also problematic, particularly run-on sentences and missing spaces after periods (e.g., 'situation.I would agree...'). While the student attempts a variety of structures, frequent errors in agreement, tense consistency, and clause connection prevent the grammar score from reaching a higher band. Communication is maintained, but control is inconsistent, placing it at a Band 5.5.

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