Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-27

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 6.5)

Whether it is best to accept a bad situation, such as a disappointing job or lack of money, or to take efforts to improve such situations remains a contentious issue. While some people argue that it viable to accept a bad situation because individual needs never stops, I strongly believe every individual should make an attempt to improve the situation.

Those who support this view argue that humans always seek for more in life. This behaviour will always keep individuals unsatisfied in life. Instead, people should emphasise on other parts going well in life. More than high paying job and excess money, for instance, people can still be satisfy in life by maintaining good health and spending quality time with friends and families. However, I believe a person will always remain dissatisfied in life if they don't even try to make things better.

On the other hand, proponents of this view argue that few factors of the unfavourable situation is under the control of individual. A person should put in the effort to turnaround the situation. By simply accepting the fate will keep the individual unhappy mentally and can even lead to depression. For example, a person can easily pivot their career by learning a high paying skill or switching to a job they enjoy doing. By taking steps toward a goal will help everyone fulfil more inside.

In conclusion, although accepting an unfavourable situation may allow people to appreciate other aspects of their lives, I believe that individuals should make a genuine effort to improve their circumstances whenever possible. Taking action can provide greater satisfaction and help people achieve a more fulfilling life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—accepting difficult situations versus attempting to improve them—and clearly presents the writer's own opinion throughout the essay. The introduction establishes a clear stance, stating, 'I strongly believe every individual should make an attempt to improve the situation.' Main body paragraphs explore both sides: the first discusses the reasoning behind acceptance, such as focusing on health and relationships, while the second presents arguments for taking active control to avoid dissatisfaction. Ideas are well-extended and supported with relevant explanations, such as the example of pivoting a career. While some arguments could be explored in even greater depth, the response fully satisfies the requirements for a Band 7.0 by maintaining a clear position and addressing all elements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Paragraphing is used appropriately, dividing the introduction, body arguments, and conclusion into distinct sections. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the arguments, such as 'While some people argue', 'Instead', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and transitional flow occasionally feel slightly mechanical, and minor cohesive errors occur, such as 'proponents of this view argue' being used in both body paragraphs despite referring to opposing schools of thought. Despite these occasional minor lapses in cohesive management, the logical flow is clear throughout, aligning well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and phrasal structures such as 'contentious issue', 'unfavourable situation', and 'pivot their career'. However, there are notable lexical and collocational inaccuracies throughout the text. For instance, the writer writes 'individual needs never stops' instead of 'stop', 'seek for more' instead of 'seek more', 'emphasise on' instead of 'emphasise', and 'fulfil more inside' instead of a more natural collocation like 'find greater internal fulfilment'. Furthermore, 'satisfy' is used incorrectly as an adjective where 'satisfied' is required. These vocabulary errors and minor word-choice inaccuracies mean the lexical range sits comfortably within the Band 6.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use conditional and relative clauses. There are, however, several recurring grammatical errors that disrupt the flow of the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('individual needs never stops'), prepositional misuse ('emphasise on'), and article omissions or errors ('More than high paying job'). Additionally, phrases like 'a person should put in the effort to turnaround the situation' contain minor morphological slips ('turnaround' as a verb should be 'turn around'). Although these errors do not impede overall communication and the reader can easily follow the arguments, their frequency prevents the essay from reaching a higher band, making Band 6.0 the most accurate assessment.

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