Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-18

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)

In the era of modernization, it is quite evident that some people land up in an unsatisfactory job or may face deficiency in financial resources. In such situations, a plethora of people assert that one should accept the situation and learn to live by it. Whereas, others argue that a person should always working hard and thrive to improve their present situation. This essay shall highlight both the arguments and will ultimately focus on why I prefer the latter opinion.

With fierce competition in corporate job market, some section of the society accept the job offer that do not match their interests and capabilities. Similarly, many entrepreneurs face huge financial losses while running their businesses. In both situations, there is always a two way approach to overcome present scenario. The most prominent way is to accept the situation as it is and complain frequently. Whereas, the other solution requires to work diligently to improve our current situation.

Some people advocate that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. Such people believe that situations happens because of our destiny and we must accept them as they are.

While others believe that we must work hard to improve them. This includes learning from our past mistakes and improve our lacking skills. Additionally, in cases of confusion, we can always choose to talk to a person who we really admire or call them as our role model. Sometimes, all we need is someone to hear and provide practical solutions. I totally agree with this viewpoint as I personally believe that without putting efforts, destiny and fortune might not help us automatically and improve our present situations.

In conclusion, it can be said that one should always thrive to work hard. Achievers are mostly hardworkers and not procastinators. Hence, instead of accepting situations as it is, one should always try to improve and grow in their lives.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and make your preference clear: you explain that some people accept difficult circumstances because they see them as destiny, while you support working to improve them. The examples of an unsuitable job and entrepreneurs’ financial losses are relevant, and your conclusion reinforces your position. However, the discussion of acceptance is brief and largely repeats the task, with little explanation of why accepting a situation might be sensible—for example, when change is outside someone’s control. Your argument for improvement is more developed, but the advice about role models is not clearly connected to the job and money examples. Develop both sides with specific reasons and examples, and explain the limits of your preferred approach.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, and the reader can follow the overall contrast between accepting circumstances and trying to change them. Linking expressions such as “Similarly,” “Additionally” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is uneven: the second paragraph introduces a “two way approach” but does not fully develop either option, and the next paragraph restates the acceptance view before the final body paragraph develops the opposing view. Some transitions, including “Whereas” at the start of a sentence, feel mechanical, while “This includes” has an unclear reference. Organise the body into one developed paragraph for each view, with clear links between each claim, explanation and example.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary and attempt less common expressions, including “unsatisfactory,” “financial resources,” “fierce competition” and “practical solutions.” These choices make the topic clear, and the reader can understand your position throughout. Some phrases are inaccurate or unnatural, however, such as “land up in an unsatisfactory job,” “deficiency in financial resources” and “thrive to improve.” There are also spelling errors in “hardworkers” and “procastinators,” and “lacking skills” is not the natural form in this context. Aim for precise, natural collocations and check spelling; this will make your ideas sound more fluent without needing unnecessarily elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including a relative clause in “a person who we really admire” and a conditional-style explanation beginning “In both situations.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, but some errors in verb forms, agreement and sentence construction remain. For example, “a person should always working hard” needs a finite verb form, and “some section of the society accept the job offer that do not match” has agreement problems. “Situations happens” also mismatches subject and verb, while “instead of accepting situations as it is” has inconsistent number and reference. Review subject–verb agreement and ensure each clause has a correctly formed verb. More accurate complex sentences would strengthen the range you are already attempting.

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