Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-04

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)

People have different views about whether best to accept a bad situation or better to try and improve such situations. While both perspectives have valid arguements, I belive that accepting a bad situation is the better approach because it improves self-confidence and understanding mindset.

On the one hand, some people believe that better to try and improve such situations is the main priority. The main reason for this that it creates new opportunities for personal and professonial growth. People can achieve a better standard of living so this action develops confidence and skills. For instance, a computer science student who learn more programming languages and develop real time projects can boost them to get more career opportunities. Therefore, supporters of this view argue that it improves financial stability and better living standards.

On the other hand, some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. The main reason is that accepting situations can reduce stress and anxiety, which means that people can learn to be patient and satisfied with what they have. Moreover, acceptance helps avoid unnecessary disappointments. For example, enginnering students who cannot find a good job immediately, may accept the situation temporarily and remaining patient. As a result, acceptance helps to maintain peace of mind.

In conclusion, both perspectives have valid arguements , I believe that acceptance might be beneficial for their health condition, while improving situations can develop their skills and motivates for better carrer opportunities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both views and state a position in the introduction, supporting acceptance with points about reduced stress and patience. However, the response is under the required length: it contains 230 words, 20 short of the 250-word minimum, and the 21 words copied from the prompt are not counted. This limits the space available to develop your ideas. The improvement view is illustrated with a computer science student, but the example does not clearly show how learning programming leads to a better situation. Your opinion also shifts in the conclusion: you initially favour acceptance, then say both approaches may be beneficial without clearly reaffirming which you prefer. Develop each view with a more specific explanation and example, and keep your position consistent.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Phrases such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “For instance” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, with repeated patterns such as “The main reason” and “As a result.” Some links between claims are not fully clear; for example, the computer-science example is followed by a claim about financial stability without explaining the connection. The conclusion also combines the two views without clearly resolving your position. Use a wider range of linking methods and make the relationship between each example and its point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “personal and professional growth,” “financial stability,” “stress and anxiety,” and “peace of mind.” These choices make the main ideas understandable. However, the range is limited in places, and several spelling, word-form, or collocation errors reduce precision: “arguements,” “professonial,” “enginnering,” and “better carrer opportunities.” Phrases such as “understanding mindset” and “boost them to get” are also unnatural, while “improving situations” is repeated rather than varied. Aim for accurate, natural combinations of words and check spelling carefully. More precise expressions for accepting circumstances and taking steps to improve them would help you explain the contrast more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a subordinate clause in “which means that people can learn to be patient” and a relative clause in the student example. The overall meaning is generally recoverable, but errors in sentence structure and verb forms occur throughout. For example, “whether best to accept … or better to try” is missing grammatical elements, and “a computer science student who learn … and develop” has incorrect agreement. In “may accept the situation temporarily and remaining patient,” the verb forms do not match. Articles and punctuation also need attention, as in “an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money” and the comma after “immediately.” Practise building complete clauses and checking agreement and parallel verb forms.

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