Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-19

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 5.0)

Some people think that accepting difficult circumstances, such as unsatisfactory job or financial problems, is the best way to deal with them. Others argue that people should make efforts to improve their situations rather than accept them. I believe that practical steps to improve one's life is to experience it.

On the one hand, accepting a difficult situation can reduce stress and help people appreciate what they already have. Not every problem can be solve immediately, and worrying about what happens later may affect their mental well-being. They should have patience in every situation and should accept what comes in difficulties. For instance, a person who earns a low salary may need to accept the financial position while meeting the basic needs and managing expenses carefully. Similarly, someone working in unsatisfactory job may have family responsibilities and they can't leave job immediately. In such cases, accepting reality can help people maintain and make sensible decisions instead of taking risks.

On the other hand, people should try to improve their difficult situations because this make thier life better. When people take actions to solve those problems, they can become condifent and learn how to manage the expenes more efficiently. For example, a person who is struggling with money can prepare a monthly budget and avoid unnecessary spending. This helps them to save money and expenses more easily. As a result, a small effort can change the peoples' lives and their money.

In conclusion,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You discuss both views: the first body paragraph explains how acceptance may reduce stress and help people manage responsibilities, while the second gives practical steps such as budgeting. However, the response does not complete the task because the conclusion is only “In conclusion,” and your own opinion is not clearly stated or supported. The opening says that improving one’s life is preferable, but the sentence “is to experience it” makes your position difficult to understand. Several points are also brief, particularly how taking action can improve someone’s circumstances. The response is 242 words, below the required 250. To strengthen the answer, state your view clearly, develop each side with fuller explanation, and finish with a conclusion that directly answers the question.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a concluding paragraph begun. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help signal the contrast, and examples generally follow the relevant claims. However, progression is weakened by the unfinished conclusion and by links between ideas that are sometimes unclear. For example, “This helps them to save money and expenses more easily” does not clearly explain the result, and “their money” is an imprecise reference. The first body paragraph also moves quickly between stress, salary, and family responsibilities. Use clearer cause-and-effect links, make references explicit, and complete the final paragraph with a summary of both views and your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “financial problems,” “mental well-being,” “family responsibilities,” and “monthly budget.” Some phrasing also shows an attempt to express more specific ideas, such as “managing expenses carefully.” However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce precision. “Experience it” does not convey the intended meaning, while “save money and expenses” and “change the peoples’ lives and their money” are unnatural or unclear. There are also spelling errors such as “thier,” “condifent,” and “expenes.” Build a more accurate range of phrases for financial management and personal improvement, and check spelling and collocations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple sentences and some longer structures, including “Not every problem can be solve immediately” and the conditional example beginning “A person who earns a low salary may need to accept…”. Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but errors occur in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. Examples include “can be solve” instead of a passive form with “solved,” “this make” instead of “this makes,” and “unsatisfactory job” without an article. The opening sentence, “I believe that practical steps to improve one's life is to experience it,” is also grammatically and semantically unclear. Practise accurate passive forms and subject–verb agreement, and proofread articles and sentence endings while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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