Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-08

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)

Some people argue that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. However, others think that it is better to try and improve such situations. I believe that striving to improve such circumstances is necessary for a better life and future growth.

On one hand, accepting an unsatisfactory situation can help individuals avoid unnecessary stress and maintain peace of mind. Low-income jobs create psychological pressure. Moreover, people may lose confidence in themselves. However, some workers accept their circumstances to protect their mental health. For instance, most individuals have a large family to feed so they tolerate with unhappy employment to ensure financial stability.

On the other hand, striving to improve such situations ensures personal and professional growth. Efforts are crucial for securing better opportunities and for standing out in the competitive environment. It ultimately helps workers to secure highly-paid jobs. Financial stability is vital for enjoying a better life style. For example, many people learn new skills or pursue higher education to move from low-paid jobs to a more rewarding career, which proves that necessity is the mother of invention.

In conclusion, although accepting bad situation may give a temporary peace, striving to improve circumstances are far more beneficial in long term and satisfaction.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both views and state a clear preference for trying to improve difficult circumstances, so the response is relevant to the task. The acceptance paragraph gives a reason—protecting mental health—and an example involving people supporting a large family. The improvement paragraph also mentions skills and higher education. However, these points are brief and not sufficiently explained, and the conclusion largely repeats your position rather than developing it. The response is 185 words, below the required 250; the 28 words copied from the prompt are not counted. This limits the opportunity to develop and support your ideas, which is a key reason the task is only partially addressed. Add explanation and specific examples for both views.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. The overall progression is understandable, but connections within paragraphs are sometimes abrupt. For example, “Low-income jobs create psychological pressure” is followed by “Moreover, people may lose confidence,” without explaining how this supports accepting the situation. The final sentence also combines several ideas without a clear grammatical or logical link. Develop each paragraph around a clear sequence—claim, explanation, and example—and use referencing or transitions to show how each sentence relates to the previous one.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “psychological pressure,” “financial stability,” “personal and professional growth,” and “competitive environment.” These expressions help communicate the main ideas, and the meaning is generally clear. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “tolerate with unhappy employment,” “highly-paid jobs,” and “a better life style.” “Necessity is the mother of invention” is understandable but does not precisely support the point about education and career progression. Aim for more natural, precise phrasing and avoid relying on broad expressions such as “better life.” For example, describe the specific benefits of improved employment, such as higher earnings or greater job satisfaction.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some more complex forms, including the contrast in “although accepting bad situation may give a temporary peace” and the purpose clause “to ensure financial stability.” Most of the message remains understandable. However, errors in articles, agreement, and sentence construction are noticeable. In the conclusion, “accepting bad situation” needs an article, and “striving to improve circumstances are” has a subject–verb agreement problem. The phrase “For instance, most individuals have a large family to feed so they tolerate…” also needs clearer punctuation or sentence separation. Practise checking articles and whether the verb agrees with its subject, while continuing to use varied sentence patterns.

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