Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-28

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 6.0)

By any means it is not acceptable to accept the inadequate conditions, because individuals should actively endeavor to improve. Although passive acceptance can provide mental resilience and immediate stability during unavoidable hardships, actively striving for change is essential for personal progress and social mobility. In my view, while acceptance maybe a practical strategy, but trying to pogress is really important for long term improvement.

On one hand, proponents of accepting bad situation argue that coming to the terms with reality preserves emotional stability and prevents burnout. However in many instances, the situation is in individuals control. But acceptance is important, if it does not exist it can lead towards chronic anxiety, frustation ,and poor mental health. Accepting allows individuals to adapt, conserve emotional energy, and maintain peace of mind rather than squandering resources on futile struggles.

Conversely, actively working to overcome hardship is the driving force behind individual upward mobility and personal development. When people refuse to resgin themselves to the hardships, they are motivated to acquire new skills, pursue further education, or seek alternative income streams. For example, an employee trapped in a dead-end job who invests his time in learning high-value technical skills can eventually secure high-paying job. Without the drive to challenge one's situation, personal and societal growth would stall.

In conclusion, while accepting a diffcult situation can serve as a useful copying mechanism to prevent emotional distress in the short term, remaining passive can hinder long term growth. I believe true resilence lies in accepting current circumstances as a starting point, while actively formulating and executing plans to improve them over time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on accepting bad situations versus trying to improve them, while also providing a clear personal opinion. The position is maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are generally extended and supported, such as when the writer provides an example of an employee trapped in a dead-end job who invests time in learning technical skills. However, the development of ideas occasionally lacks depth, and some arguments, particularly in the second paragraph regarding mental health and control, are slightly tangled and could be more clearly articulated. Overall, the content fully satisfies the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0, and since the word count requirement is met, no penalties apply. Therefore, a solid Band 7 is awarded.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing opposing views, and a distinct concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used throughout to connect ideas, such as 'On one hand', 'Conversely', and 'In conclusion'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each main idea grouped into its own logical section. However, some referencing is slightly clunky or repetitive, and minor structural cohesion issues appear, such as the redundant transition 'while acceptance maybe a practical strategy, but trying to pogress'. These minor flaws prevent a higher band, but the logical progression is clear enough to secure a Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating less common items and academic phrases such as 'upward mobility', 'personal development', 'chronic anxiety', and 'futile struggles'. There are, however, some spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'pogress' instead of 'progress', 'diffcult' instead of 'difficult', and 'copying mechanism' instead of 'coping mechanism'. Additionally, the phrase 'coming to the terms with reality' contains an unnecessary article. Despite these occasional slips and inaccuracies, the vocabulary is varied enough to allow the meaning to come across clearly, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional-like clauses and participial phrases, such as 'When people refuse to resign themselves to the hardships, they are motivated to acquire new skills...' However, control over grammar is somewhat inconsistent. There are noticeable errors, such as the dangling or poorly structured opening phrase 'By any means it is not acceptable', a double conjunction error in the introduction ('while acceptance maybe a practical strategy, but trying to pogress'), and missing articles or agreement slips like 'bad situation' (singular countable noun missing an article). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent the grammar score from reaching a Band 7.

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