Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-31

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)

Many Individuals think that accepting bad situation is the perfect choice, while others believe that by working hard, those situations can be improved. However, I strongly believe that we should try and work hard to improve ourselves from bad situations.

Accpeting situations can reduce stress sometimes. This is because when people have the shortage of money or unsatisfactory job they may feel stress or bad about it. It can cause problem to his mental happiness.So accepting that can help them to stay cool or happy for that moment.For example, an employee can look for better jobs while working in the job which is not satisfactory to him because nothing can be done immediately.Another reason might be family pressure because the person need to take care of his family. Thinking about the family, he might do the unpleasent job.

In contrast, people can work harder to earn more money. For instance, when a worker works 3 hours more then he get paid more than usual. In addition, Individuals can learn new skills and qualifications because they can apply to better job positions which will give them better work life environment.For example, an employee learns new skills such as computer skills, or presentation or excel, then he can apply for the positions which required this skills.This will lead them to them desired workplace and they can provide more for their family.

In conclusion, both ideas have their own reasoning, But in my perspective, I think everyone should work hard to improve in their life to get out from their past bad situation without accepting those.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a clear preference for trying to improve difficult circumstances. The first body paragraph gives relevant reasons for accepting a situation temporarily, including stress and family responsibilities, while the second explains how extra work or learning skills may lead to better employment. These examples keep the response focused on the question. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the point about accepting a bad situation is partly framed as a temporary measure while searching for another job, rather than fully explaining when acceptance itself may be preferable. The examples are also general, and the conclusion repeats your position without adding much. Develop the reasoning behind each view and make the distinction between accepting and improving more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “In contrast,” “For instance,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. The progression within the improvement paragraph—from working extra hours to gaining skills—is also understandable. At times, however, connections feel mechanical or unclear. For example, “For example” introduces the job-search point after the claim about reducing stress, but the link between them could be explained more directly. Some references, such as “accepting that” and “This will lead them,” are not fully precise. Use linking phrases selectively and make the relationship between each example and its main point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “shortage of money,” “family pressure,” “qualifications,” and “better job positions.” There are also attempts to express more specific concepts, such as “mental happiness” and “work life environment.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the reader pause. Examples include “stay cool or happy,” “do the unpleasant job,” and “get out from their past bad situation.” Spelling errors such as “Accpeting” and “unpleasent” also affect accuracy. Build a more precise set of phrases for discussing employment, financial pressure, and coping, and check spelling and natural word combinations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “because,” “while,” and “which.” This allows you to explain causes and consequences, and the overall meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, agreement, verb forms, and sentence boundaries. For example, “the person need to take care” should use a singular verb, and “when a worker works 3 hours more then he get paid” has errors in the conditional wording and verb agreement. There are also run-on or poorly punctuated sentences, such as the sentence beginning “This is because.” To improve, check subject–verb agreement and articles, and separate complete ideas with appropriate punctuation while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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