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)

The good and bad situation is the part of life which may faced by everyone. Some time we have to accept the worst situation like unrelated job or less income while in some situation we have to work hard in order to get out from your worst life. Both the arguments are well defined and relevant to the situation.

To begin with, struggle is an important step towards the better future. Sometime a person is giving too much input but the output is nil which may put him in very bad situation, neither he can stop the race nor he can move forward, in this situation acceptance is the best solution instead of regreting. For example if a student worked very hard in order to crack the competitive exam but he got failed, in this situation he must accept his result and try for next attempt.

However, sometimes we have try to improve our input instead of accepting and complaining because whenever we started focusing on improvement definitely one day we must face the best time. For example a person who is facing a financial problem and he is not making enough money from his job, this person needs to start working on side business which generate an additional revenue and make him financially well stable. So, this is only possible way if someone wanted to improve his worst situation by working hard and thinking critically.

In conclusion, there are two best way to deal with the bad situation of life. One is to accept it and another is to increase your output in order to deal with problems.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views by discussing acceptance after failure and efforts to improve financial circumstances, and your examples—a student who fails an exam and a worker considering a side business—are relevant. However, the discussion does not fully match the task’s two positions: the first body paragraph begins by praising struggle, then argues that acceptance is best, so the view is not clearly explained. Your own opinion is also not stated directly; the conclusion presents acceptance and increased effort as two options without saying which you consider better or when. Develop each view distinctly, explain its advantages or limitations, and state a clear position that is maintained throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs signalled by “To begin with” and “However,” and a concluding paragraph. The examples are placed alongside the relevant points, which helps the reader follow the general discussion. However, progression within the first body paragraph is confusing: “struggle is an important step” leads into a situation where acceptance is described as the best solution. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “in this situation” and “So.” The conclusion repeats the two options rather than drawing together the argument. Make the relationship between each claim and example explicit, and use clearer transitions between contrasting ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “competitive exam,” “financial problem,” “additional revenue,” and “improvement.” These choices allow the reader to understand the examples and the broad argument. However, the range is limited and several word combinations or forms are inaccurate, such as “bad situation is the part of life,” “less income,” “get out from your worst life,” and “financially well stable.” Repetition of “situation,” “best,” and “output” also reduces precision. Choose more natural expressions for hardship and improvement, and vary key terms—for example, describe an “unsatisfactory job” or “financial hardship” rather than repeatedly referring to a “bad situation.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if a student worked very hard … but he got failed” and a relative clause in “a person who is facing a financial problem.” This shows an effort to vary sentence forms. However, errors are frequent, and some complex sentences are difficult to control. Examples include “which may faced by everyone,” “sometimes we have try,” and “whenever we started focusing … we must face,” where verb forms and tense relationships are faulty. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries. Practise accurate clauses and verb patterns first, then build longer sentences; for instance, write “which everyone may face” and “sometimes we have to try.”

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