Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-03

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)

There are two categories of people who argue on the idea what to do in bad situation, one group suggests that the best thing to do in bad situation is acceptance of that reality, whereas the other group suggests to thrive in such situation. Both of them hold valid idea in their own perspectives.

Enlightening the idea of people who think accepting the unsatisfactory situation is best. When something bad happens it was already written as destiny, and most of the times things can not be simply reversed. In such situation, it is best to accept it and move on. For instance, a student gets fail in last attempt and can not secure admission in his dream college, so for him it's better to accept the situation even it is not satisfactory. Therefore, people supporting the idea to accept a bad situation is valid as per their own perspective.

Furthermore, there are people who firmly believe it is better to not give up and improve the situation. When there are not expected outcomes although a person get a chance to rise up again by putting more efforts and time, the best thing to do in that unexpectedly bad situation is to try and improve. I shall share the example of a athlete competing for gold medal in the olympics who loses by just few points, it is very heart breaking for such person who prepared and awaited 4 years for this moment and unfortunately lost. But losing does not mean complete failure, he still got a chance in next olympics, so it is better for him to try and improve to overcome this loss next time.

So, the both type of people, beleiving the idea to accept the bad situation and those who beleive it is best to try and improve, have valid points in their own positions. The idea can be valid according to the circumstances for that person.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on how to deal with bad situations and presenting a personal opinion, which places it at a mid-tier level. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and uneven. For instance, the first body paragraph attempts to explain the rationale behind accepting a bad situation, but the argument relies heavily on a general assertion that 'it was already written as destiny' rather than exploring broader philosophical or practical implications. Similarly, the second body paragraph introduces a relevant example of an Olympic athlete, but the reasoning remains basic. The writer's position is clear throughout the essay, yet the support and extension of ideas lack the depth required to reach a higher level, resulting in arguments that feel somewhat repetitive and under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct points of view. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'Furthermore' and 'For instance', but referencing and transitions can occasionally feel mechanical or repetitive, particularly with phrases like 'on the idea' or 'according to the circumstances'. While information flows logically from one paragraph to the next, the lack of more sophisticated transitional phrasing prevents the progression from feeling entirely smooth. Overall, the structural framework is sound and supports clear readability, even though the internal cohesion within sentences could be polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully communicating everyday ideas related to personal challenges and goal-setting. There are deliberate attempts to use less common items and phrasing, such as 'unsatisfactory situation', 'unexpectedly bad', and 'heart breaking'. However, lexical control is inconsistent, leading to several word choice, collocation, and word form errors. Examples include 'gets fail' instead of 'fails', 'a athlete' instead of 'an athlete', and repeated misuse of the prepositional structure 'the idea to accept' rather than 'the idea of accepting'. Spelling and lexical slips do not impede overall communication, but they restrict the response to a functional and limited vocabulary level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a basic ability to construct compound and subordinate clauses. However, frequent grammatical errors are present throughout the text, involving articles, subject-verb agreement, and verb tenses. For instance, the opening sentence contains awkward structural framing ('arguments on the idea what to do in bad situation'), and sentences such as 'when a person get a chance' or 'the both type of people, beleiving' exhibit persistent structural inaccuracies. Punctuation is generally manageable, but frequent errors in grammar and morphology mean that sentences lack the consistent control and error-free execution characteristic of higher score bands.

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