Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

There is considerable debate over whether people should accept a bad circumstances for mental well-being. However, others argue that individuals should put some efforts to overcome these types of situations. This essay will discuss both views before presenting my opinion.

On the one hand, many people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money because by following this approach, people can overcome stress issues. These situations really effects person's mind and divert their attention at work. For instance, nowadays, qualified professionals are struggling to find their dream jobs and mostly graduates are doing jobs at lower scale . This situation puts negative impact on the younger generation mind because they might think that they struggle hard to become professionals. Therefore, people think that it is best way to accept circumstances rather than to remain in a stress.

On the other hand, other people argue that it is better to try and improve such circumstances. They believe that people can achieve everything if they have pottential to attain it. For example, one of my friends was doing job in a IT department as a clerk. Firstly, she was not satisfied with her job but then she decided to join online e-commerce classes. She worked hard and now she is running three amazon stores and generating good profit. Hence, I believe that hard work is a key to become successful. People can achieve everything if they work hard.

In a conclusion, although acceptance of bad situation helps us to cope with stress issues, I believe people should try and work hard to overcome these situations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and give a clear opinion: acceptance may reduce stress, while effort can improve circumstances. The example of your friend moving from clerical work to running online stores supports the second view, but the first view is less fully explained; the point about graduates doing lower-level jobs does not clearly show how acceptance helps them cope. Some claims, such as “people can achieve everything,” are broad and need qualification or further support. The response is also 6 words below the 250-word minimum, so it does not meet the task’s length requirement. Develop the reasoning on both sides more evenly and add specific explanation rather than relying on general claims.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable 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 a conclusion” helps readers follow the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. In the first body paragraph, the example about graduates leads to the claim that people should accept circumstances, but the link between the example and that conclusion needs explaining. Connectors such as “Therefore” and “Hence” are used mechanically, and the conclusion largely repeats the introduction rather than drawing the discussion together. Use clearer links between each example and its point, and vary how you show relationships between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “unsatisfactory job,” “overcome stress,” “qualified professionals,” and “generating good profit.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which makes parts of the response awkward to read. For example, “accept a bad circumstances,” “stress issues,” “at lower scale,” and “puts negative impact” are not natural expressions in this context. “Pottential” is also misspelled, and “amazon” should be capitalised as a proper name. Aim to learn vocabulary in common word partnerships and check spelling and word forms. More precise language would help you explain the two positions without repeating general terms such as “situation” and “people.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a subordinate clause beginning “because” and a contrast structure with “although.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to process. Examples include “These situations really effects person's mind,” where the verb form and agreement are faulty, and “she was doing job in a IT department,” where articles are missing or incorrect. There are also problems with plural forms and sentence construction, as in “accept a bad circumstances.” Practise checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and singular/plural forms, then proofread each sentence. Building accurate complex sentences will improve clarity as well as variety.

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