Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some societies, stress is now regarded as a major problem, and it is thought that people suffer from more stress than they did in the past. However, others feel that the amount of stress people have today is exaggerated. They say that previous generations were under more pressure, but the idea of suffering from stress did not exist.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The stress level of people has raised significantly as compared to past which is considered as a major problem in present. Although, some people believe that it is just illusion of people mindset living at the moment whereas, people in past needed to deal with environment full of pressure and did not take stress as suffering.

Stress is a factor that is mostly influenced with environment and societies. Nowadays, people need to deal with difficult scenarios as compared to past. For instance, development of new technology has created a stress about the user manual whereas, in past there were not a major difficulties because life was simple. People tend to stress more in present because they don't want to make mistakes and be a perfectionist.

Some people also believe that these days the stress factor is exaggerated and something that shouldn't be considered as a major problem which is wrong because each individual deal with stress differently. I believe everyone has their own way of handling the situation. For example, some people are emotional and stress more about a minor situation ( which is a major problem to them) and some tend to take every situations easily. So, we cannot consider the level of stress as an exaggeration.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that people are more stressed these days due to change in their setting ( from traditional to modern setting) which is more complex as compared to that of past. Moreover, stress itself cannot be considered as an exaggeration and everyone handles stress in their own way some become anxious whereas some are calm.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a clear overall view: you believe modern life creates more stress and that stress should not be dismissed as exaggerated. You also refer to both perspectives, including the claim that earlier life was simpler and that people in the past faced pressure without naming it as stress. However, the discussion of the second view is not fully developed: the paragraph mainly explains that individuals respond differently, rather than examining why previous generations may have faced greater pressure. The technology example is also unclear, since stress about a user manual does not convincingly show that modern life is more stressful. Develop each side with a specific, relevant example and explain how it supports your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the main position is easy to identify. Paragraphs generally focus on one central point. Some connections, however, are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Although” at the start of the introduction is not followed by a complete contrast structure, and “whereas” is used awkwardly in the technology example. The second body paragraph shifts from the view that stress is exaggerated to individual differences without clearly linking that point to the argument about past generations. Use clearer topic sentences and make each example’s relationship to the paragraph’s main claim explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary such as “major problem,” “perfectionist,” “exaggeration” and “anxious,” which helps communicate the topic and your position. There is some attempt to express abstract ideas, including the contrast between traditional and modern settings. However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “stress level … has raised,” “illusion of people mindset,” “stress about the user manual” and “change in their setting.” These phrases sometimes make the intended meaning less clear. Aim for more natural combinations and precise terms, and check word forms and plural usage. For instance, describe specific sources of pressure rather than relying on broad phrases such as “difficult scenarios.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “although,” “whereas,” “because” and “as compared to.” The overall meaning is usually understandable, but some sentence structures and punctuation are inaccurate. The opening sentence beginning “Although” is a fragment-like construction, while the long sentence about technology joins ideas awkwardly. There are also errors in agreement and number, as in “each individual deal” and “every situations,” and punctuation is inconsistent around parenthetical material. Practise building complete contrast sentences and checking subject–verb agreement, articles and plural forms. Breaking some longer sentences into clearer units would also improve control.

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.