Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-22

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)

Most individuals believe that it is better to accept a worst situtation like an unsatisfactory job or business or problem related to wealth whereas few of them argue that one should try to improve such kind of situations. This essay will discuss both the views in upcoming paragraphs.

Firstly, accepting the bad situations can reduce the chances of depression and may assist people to move forward and go with the flow. To explicate this, people who are not accepting the current conditions may face health hazards and may loss their ability to do something. For example, A surver conducted by WHO( World Health Organisation) found that a large propotion of population was suffering from depression and health issues due to their bad wealth conditions as they can not able to accept their situations. Hence , individuals should stay strong and should accept their conditions whether it is bad or good.

Secondly, if infants are facing problems related to their jobs satisfactory or shortage of money than they should do something better instead of accepting it. To elaborate this, people should do some work if they are facing problem related to money or they should look forward to find better job than unsatisfied job or business. For instance, majority of population are running business or doing part time jobs to fullfill their needs and trying to satisfy themselves from unsatisfactory jobs.Therefore, Infants should try dop something instead of sitting idol at home by accepting their bad situations.

To conclusion,I too believe that one should try to do something better than accepting their conditions but if they are not capable to do something so they should accept their bad conditions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and give a clear final preference for trying to improve difficult circumstances, while acknowledging that acceptance may be necessary when change is not possible. The first body paragraph gives a relevant reason for acceptance—reducing distress—and the second suggests seeking better work or additional income. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the claim that acceptance helps people “move forward” is not clearly explained, and the WHO example is vague and does not directly support the point. The second view also relies on broad suggestions rather than a specific, well-explained example. Develop each argument with a clear cause-and-effect explanation and make your position explicit earlier, not only in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “To conclusion” help signal the stages of the discussion, so the overall arrangement is understandable. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and links between claims are not always clear. For example, the WHO reference follows the point about health hazards but does not explain how the survey proves that accepting a situation reduces depression. The conclusion also introduces a qualification—accepting circumstances when change is not possible—that could be connected more clearly to the earlier discussion. Use linking phrases to show cause, contrast, and example relationships, and ensure each paragraph develops one connected line of reasoning.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “unsatisfactory job,” “shortage of money,” “depression,” and “health hazards.” These choices make the general subject clear. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate or unnatural expressions make parts difficult to interpret, such as “bad wealth conditions,” “jobs satisfactory,” and “sitting idol at home.” There are also spelling errors, including “situtation,” “propotion,” and “fullfill,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe financial difficulty as “financial hardship,” and refer to “job satisfaction” or “an unsatisfactory job” rather than “jobs satisfactory.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if they are not capable to do something so they should accept their bad conditions.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction can make meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “may loss their ability,” “they can not able to accept,” and “if infants are facing problems … than they should.” The final conditional also needs a clearer structure and punctuation. Practise building accurate sentences with “if” clauses and modal verbs—for example, “If people cannot change their circumstances, they may need to accept them”—and check each sentence for a complete, correctly formed verb phrase.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.