Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-11

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)

Changing and accepting a bad situation is a critical debate. Some people believe that accepting a bad situation is the best way, while others argue that improving such circumstances is better. I believe that sometimes accept a bad situation is suitable because the situation can not change immediately. On the other hande, individuals should try regularly to imrove the worse situation. In my opinion, improve a bad situation in better approach.

On the one hand, those who believe that accept a bad situation is better they argue that sometimes people can not change such situations immediatly. For example, if anyone has an unsatisfactory job or travel long distance everyday to work an office, he can not leave job immedialtly without finding an alternative source of income.

On the other hand, those who believe that improve worse situation is better appproach, they argure that individuals should try regularly to change such situations. For instance, if someone struggling financially he need to find suitable job or a new source of income. Furthermore, if a peson doing job in an unpleasent environment or facing difficulties in task achievement, he can improve their technical skills , communication skills and other skills related to their work. He may also do some qualifications such as short courses related to thier field in order to improve thier reputation.

In conclusion, accepting a bad situation sometimes is a suitable option when a person struggling financially and do not have a power to change things, but improving a worse situation is a more suitable and better approach because people can change situations by working hard and focus on their career. It is a time taking event but more worthy. I believe that improving a bad situation is a better approach instead of accepting.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You discuss both views and give a clear overall preference for trying to improve a bad situation. The examples about not leaving a job before finding another income source and developing work-related skills are relevant and help explain each position. However, the acceptance argument is less fully explored: it mainly explains why change may not be immediate, rather than when accepting a situation could be a considered or beneficial choice. Your conclusion also introduces financial difficulty as a reason to accept circumstances, but this point is not clearly developed earlier. To strengthen the response, explain the consequences or advantages of each approach and connect your examples more directly to your opinion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” makes the progression easy to follow, and the examples are placed with the relevant arguments. This already gives the essay a coherent arrangement. To make the flow more flexible and precise, reduce repeated framing such as “those who believe” and “bad situation,” and use clearer links between claims and explanations. For example, the shift from the financial example to improving technical and communication skills could be connected by explaining how these actions address the problem. Some references, such as “things,” are also broad and could identify the situation more specifically.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “unsatisfactory job,” “source of income,” “technical skills,” and “short courses.” However, the range is limited by repeated wording such as “bad situation,” “improve,” and “better approach,” and several inaccurate word choices or collocations make the writing less natural. Examples include “improve the worse situation,” “do some qualifications,” and “a time taking event.” Spelling errors such as “immediatly,” “appproach,” and “thier” are also noticeable. Build a more varied set of expressions for hardship, change, and career development, and check spelling and collocations carefully so your meaning is consistently clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional and reason clauses, as in “if someone struggling financially he need to find suitable job.” However, control is uneven, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction recur. For example, “sometimes accept a bad situation is suitable” needs a gerund subject and a more accurate verb pattern; “he need” should agree with its subject; and “a person doing job” is missing a finite verb and an article. Some long sentences also need clearer punctuation, such as the sentence beginning “Furthermore, if a peson…”. Practise building accurate clauses first, then combine them using “if,” “because,” and “although.”

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.