Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-21

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)

Some people believe that if they had a bad situation or shortage of money they will accept their fate and should never change their cirucmstances. However, on the other hand, some people argue that, it is better to try and improve their financial situation by doing the job which meet their expectations. In my personal opinion, I believe, people should challenege themselves and try for the better opportunity and improve their situation rather than accepting their situation.

Firstly, nowadays some people are afraid to take a risk and they accept their bad situation which definitely improve their mental health and through that they can control their anxiety and reduce their stress also but they don't take risk and some how manage to live with diffcult life they have which results in depression, anxiety and mental pressure. For instance; an employee may keep working with a company offering him low salary because it provides him stable income and support for his family.

Secondly, on the other hand some people argue that it is better to try and improve their such situations. Taking actions can create better opportunity, In addition learning new skills can lead to small business which can improve their financial issues and with continous efforts and determination an individual can achieve many things in life. For example, small bussiness is better than unsatisfactory job because it can give you good income not immediately but one day definitely through immense hardwork everything is achievable.

In conslusion, many people work with companies who pay them less and put them in a bad situation and majority of people accept this while others compete and do hardwork to get out of this and improve their situation. I believe firmly, through hardwork, dedication and efforts people can change their situations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a clear preference for trying to improve one’s circumstances, particularly in the introduction and conclusion. The examples of an employee staying in a low-paid job and someone starting a small business are relevant to the question. However, the two sides are not explored equally clearly: the explanation that accepting a difficult situation can protect mental health is then weakened by the claim that it leads to depression and anxiety, so the reasoning is difficult to follow. The argument for change is more developed, but claims such as “everything is achievable” are broad and would benefit from a specific, realistic example. Explain more precisely when acceptance may be sensible and how people can improve their situation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the main ideas generally follow a sensible order. Paragraph openings such as “Firstly” and “Secondly” help signal the discussion. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or confusing: “on the other hand” appears in both the introduction and the second body paragraph, and the first body paragraph moves from the benefits of acceptance to its harmful effects without clearly explaining the contrast. Some references are also vague, as in “their such situations” and “this.” Use linking phrases only when they express the actual relationship between ideas, and make each paragraph’s central point explicit before adding explanation and an example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “stable income,” “financial issues,” “determination” and “opportunity.” However, the range is limited by repeated general words such as “situation,” “people” and “improve,” and some combinations are unnatural or imprecise, including “do the job which meet their expectations” and “compete and do hardwork.” Spelling errors such as “cirucmstances,” “challen[e]ge,” “diffcult,” “continous” and “bussiness” are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Build a more precise set of expressions for employment and financial hardship, and check spelling carefully. More accurate collocations would make your ideas clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because,” “which” and “while,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, some sentence structures and grammatical forms are inaccurate. For example, “some people believe that if they had … they will accept” shifts inconsistently between conditional forms, while “the job which meet their expectations” has a subject–verb agreement error. Commas are also misplaced in phrases such as “some people argue that, it is better,” and several long sentences join multiple ideas without clear punctuation. Practise consistent verb forms, agreement, and sentence boundaries; then review each sentence for a clear subject and main verb. This will help you express complex ideas more reliably.

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