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)

Life is all about situations and situations can be very stressful. Being in a situation throughout certain parts of my life I concurr that it depends on the person's mindset, the problem and how can you solve it.

Naturally everyone wants to improve their situation. If I am stuck in a low wage job, I will definetly look around for more opportunities. If I am short on money I might look towards cutting down my expenses, paying off my highest interest debts, take the public transport etc.

Unfortunately improving your situation is easier said than done. With the likes of current global economic crises one is far less likely to get a job let alone get a higher paying job. With soaring inflation rates, groceries and petrol prices have gone sky-high. Ever since the Ukraine-Russian war gas for heating has also become unaffordable.

People are trying their best to adapt to tough situations like these. Previously during the world wars and cold wars situations were temporary. After a short time our situation would return to normal. Currently however, the situation has remained for more than 6 years.

Such situations are uncontrollable. Rates of poverty is increasing, savings are declining, millions are shelterless. People have tried their best but many are unable to cope.

I strongly agree with both perspectives. If one is in a particular situation, they can overcome it if it's in their hands. However for most people situations like illness, finances, government policies are out of their hands.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views by explaining why people may try to improve their circumstances and why external pressures can make this difficult, and your final paragraph gives a position: people should act when change is within their control, while recognising that some problems are not. However, the discussion is uneven. The practical examples about changing jobs and reducing expenses support the improvement view, but the case for accepting a bad situation is mostly implied through economic hardship rather than explained as a deliberate choice. Some claims, such as situations returning to normal after past wars and the current situation lasting “more than 6 years,” are broad and not clearly connected to the argument. Develop the reasons for acceptance and support your opinion with a more specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to possible actions, obstacles, and a concluding opinion. Paragraph breaks help separate these stages, and transitions such as “Unfortunately,” “Currently however,” and “However” signal contrast. Nevertheless, the overall progression is not always clear: the paragraphs about wars, current economic conditions, and poverty repeat the idea that circumstances are difficult without showing how each point advances the discussion of both views. The opening repeats “situation,” and the final paragraph introduces the distinction between controllable and uncontrollable problems quite late. Organise the body around the two views, use clearer links between examples and claims, and make references such as “these” and “the situation” more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “low wage job,” “opportunities,” “inflation rates,” “debts,” and “government policies.” Phrases such as “easier said than done” and “out of their hands” also help express the central contrast. Some choices are imprecise or informal for an academic essay: “gas for heating” and “sky-high” could be expressed more formally, while “shelterless” is not the most natural term in this context. There are also spelling errors in “concurr” and “definetly.” Aim for more precise collocations and consistent academic register, especially when describing economic hardship. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding your main points.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional structures such as “If I am stuck in a low wage job, I will…” and a contrastive sentence beginning “However for most people…”. Meaning is generally understandable, but some errors in sentence structure, agreement, and punctuation remain. For example, “Being in a situation throughout certain parts of my life I concurr…” has an unclear opening construction, and “Rates of poverty is increasing” has a subject–verb agreement error. In “cutting down my expenses, paying off my highest interest debts, take the public transport,” the list does not maintain a consistent grammatical form. Review agreement and parallel structure, and punctuate introductory phrases and clauses more carefully.

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