Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-02
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 5.0)
Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation and others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. This essay will discuss both views and make a conclusion.
Sometimes people get into a bad situation either financial or social like an unsatisfactory job, business loss or shortage of money. All people behave differently in these situations. Some just lose hope and get fed up while others try to get out of this situation as soon as possible using different strategies and techniques.
The people getting fed up by difficulties often experiance severe anxiety and depression and lose hope entirely and think that they will stay in these hardships forever and this is the biggest mistake that they make. No one's condition stays always the same so giving up is not an option. They should keep hustling until they get their desired results. On the other hand, research says that the people who don't give up are more likely to get out of the hardships quickly than those who easily give up.
In my life, there was a time when my studies were not going good. I got fired from my job and my life was nothing but miserable. I tried my best to get out of it. My grades got better and I got a new job and everything felt normal again.
My final takes are that never lose hope. No matter how hard the situation gets and no matter heartbroken you are, if you don't give up then you'll find a way out of it.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The response gives a clear preference for trying to improve difficult circumstances, especially in the personal example and the conclusion, and it recognises that people react differently to hardship. However, it only minimally discusses the view that a bad situation may be best accepted: this is described mainly as people “lose hope” and “get fed up,” rather than explaining when acceptance might be sensible or beneficial. The opposing view is also asserted more than developed; the claim about research is unsupported, and the personal example does not explain how the writer’s actions improved their grades or employment. The response is 239 words, below the 250-word minimum, and 24 words copied from the prompt were not counted. Develop both views with reasons and specific support.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay has a recognisable paragraph structure: an introduction, discussion of reactions to hardship, a personal example, and a concluding opinion. Linking expressions such as “On the other hand” and “In my life” help signal shifts, and the main position is easy to identify. However, the overall progression is limited because the second paragraph describes different reactions without clearly explaining the case for accepting a bad situation, while the next paragraph moves quickly into a one-sided argument. The personal example is separated into its own paragraph but is not connected explicitly to the preceding claim. Some links are repetitive or formulaic, particularly the repeated references to not giving up. Organise the body around one view per paragraph and use clearer links between reasons and examples.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The response uses enough vocabulary to communicate its general message, including relevant terms such as “financial,” “anxiety,” “depression,” “hardships,” and “desired results.” There are also attempts at more expressive language, for example “my life was nothing but miserable.” However, several choices are informal, vague, or unnatural for an academic essay: “keep hustling,” “final takes,” and “going good” weaken the register, while “business loss” is not a natural phrase in this context. “Experiance” is also misspelled. The repeated use of “bad situation,” “hardships,” and “give up” limits precision. Aim for more exact, formal collocations and vary key terms, while checking spelling and word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay includes both simple sentences and some attempts at longer structures, such as “Some people believe … and others argue …” and the sentence beginning “The people getting fed up by difficulties…”. Most of the meaning remains understandable, and the personal example uses past-tense forms to describe events. However, control is uneven in longer sentences: the sentence about people becoming anxious and losing hope joins several ideas without clear punctuation, and “No one's condition stays always the same” has an awkward adverb position. There are also issues with verb patterns and agreement, as in “my studies were not going good,” and the final sentence has an unclear construction around “no matter heartbroken you are.” Use shorter, well-punctuated sentences where needed and check tense, clause structure, and word order.
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.