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 people believe that accepting some misfortune in your life and to live with it is a best approach. In contrast some people believe one should work hard and never give up on hope. Although both arguements have thier reasons but i have a strong faith on trying until you get what you want.

There are some people who does not want to take risk or too lazy or shy for asking more from what they already have. For example, sometimes the financial conditions of a person is not good enough, either they had to support a family or meet the educational expenses. In that case he/she might settle for the whatever they had available at that point to keep moving. Even when that job is not paying enough they might be afraid of losing it if they asked for a raise or more money though it is not an ideal thing to do.

On the other hand there are people who keep on trying, they know thier worth and are more optimistic. they work hard and run after thier dreams no matter what. They have potential to turn the tables with thier abilities. For example if they are doing an unsatisfactory job they will work more on thier weak points, kept on trying in thier desired companies until they get in one. They are confident enough to ask for what they deserve. It is observed that people who have thier goals clear will eventually do more better in life. They never gave up on hope and there is always a positive energy around them.

When you try hard for achieving something there is no power on Earth that can undo it.

I strongly agree with those who do not settle for less and fight for what they want to become. This will also provide a thrill and challenge in life to keep on going. Such people are a positive influence on society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views (accepting a bad situation versus trying to improve it) and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as discussing financial conditions and job dissatisfaction. However, the development of ideas tends to be a bit generalised and repetitive, particularly in the body paragraphs where arguments about why people accept bad situations or strive to change them are stated rather than deeply explored. The position is clear throughout, but the depth of elaboration keeps it firmly at a Band 6.0 level according to the task response descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, separating the introduction, the discussion of the first view, the discussion of the second view, and the conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. There are issues with referencing and linking, such as the opening sentence starting with 'Few people believe' which contradicts the premise, and mechanical transitions like 'For example' used repeatedly. Paragraph transitions lack subtlety, and some sentences within paragraphs do not flow smoothly into one another, reflecting the characteristics of a Band 6 level for this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'optimistic', 'unsatisfactory', and 'abilities'. However, there are notable word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'do more better in life' instead of 'do much better in life', 'give up on hope' instead of 'give up hope', and spelling errors like 'arguements' and 'thier'. The vocabulary is generally functional enough to convey the message, but inaccuracies in word choice and spelling place it at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and concessive clauses ('Although both arguments have their reasons...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('people who does not want', 'conditions of a person is') and pronoun use ('either they had to...'). Punctuation is also weak in places, such as missing commas after introductory phrases and run-on structures. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of basic grammatical errors prevents the essay from achieving a higher band score.

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