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)

It is often argued that we should accept small jobs or unsuitable conditions that offer a small amount of money. Some people believe that we should try to improve the bad situation into a good one. In my view, we should work hard and hope for the best. It is because this will make us strong and encourage us to fight with tough conditions. I will discuss both views with reasons and examples.

Firstly, it believes that unsatisfactory jobs can overcome our needs. It is because students have no jobs after graduation. They get chances to do work against their diplomas. Their family expenses are higher. So, they will select small jobs to fulfil their family requirements. Although they have completed their graduation in Physics, they are doing a small job as a receptionlist. As a result, they will be able to manage their house expenses but they cannot fulfil their wishes.

However, some people believe that we should try to improve bad situations. It is because we can earn a large amount of money. If we work hard, we may have chance to get promotion. For example, a company suffering from bad working conditions whereas staff members are so hardworking. AS a result, they can improve bad condition of a company into good one. Furthermore, my views support work hard. It is because we can handle tough conditions in our lives as well.

In conclusion, advantages of satisfactory jobs outweigh the advantages of unsatisfactory jobs. It is because we can fulfil our requirements with our wishes. Some people believe that they can survive in a small amount of money, while some people believe that we should try to improve such situations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and state a personal preference for working hard to improve difficult circumstances. The examples about graduates taking jobs outside their qualifications and staff trying to improve a company are relevant to the topic. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the first example explains why someone might accept a low-paid job, but does not explore acceptance as a considered response, while the company example does not clearly show how workers improve their own situation. Your position also shifts: the introduction supports working hard, but the conclusion compares satisfactory and unsatisfactory jobs rather than clearly restating your view about accepting or improving circumstances. Explain the reasons behind each view more fully and keep your opinion consistent.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “However,” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several links are mechanical or do not express the intended relationship. For example, “It is because students have no jobs after graduation” does not clearly connect to the claim that unsatisfactory jobs meet people’s needs. The final paragraph also introduces a comparison of job satisfaction that has not been established in the body. Use clearer topic sentences, connect each example directly to its point, and make the conclusion follow from the argument already presented.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “unsatisfactory jobs,” “family expenses,” “promotion,” and “tough conditions,” so the reader can generally follow the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or combinations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning difficult to interpret. “Small jobs” is unclear for low-paid or low-status work, and “fight with tough conditions” is not a natural collocation. “Receptionlist” is also misspelled, and “fulfil our requirements with our wishes” is imprecise. Aim to use more exact terms for employment and financial circumstances, and check spelling and collocations. Replacing repeated general phrases such as “bad situation” with precise alternatives would make the discussion clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “although,” “if,” and “as a result.” This gives the response some structural variety, but control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence construction and verb forms sometimes make relationships unclear. For example, “Firstly, it believes that unsatisfactory jobs can overcome our needs” has an unclear subject and an awkward verb pattern; “we may have chance” is missing an article; and “a company suffering from bad working conditions whereas staff members are so hardworking” is not a complete, well-formed sentence. There are also problems with agreement and punctuation, such as “AS” being capitalised mid-sentence. Practise complete clause structures and check articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries.

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