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)

It is often argued in some places, stress is now regarded as a major problem, and it is also assumed that people suffer from this condition is more common than in the past. Meanwhile, others argue that modern society tends to exaggerate the extent of stress in people's lives.They claimed that in the past the idea of stress was not created but the societies were actually under pressure. This essay will explore both sides of the argument, before reaching a logical opinion.

On one hand, the supporters of first idea believe that in today's world, the life is more complicated and anxious. Everyone is having tension and stress about the ongoing things because of the modern lifestyle, work pressure, financial responsibilities and competiton. For instance, with the advancement in social media , more people are suffering from stress and find themselves in a competition.

On the other hand, the advocates of the second idea argue that in the past there were terms like stress, tension or anxiety existed. Humans in previous times also experienced hardships, including poverty, limited resources, war situations and unemployment but due to not having enough knowledge about psycological diorders they did not particularly said that they were mentally stressed. For example, people in the past had to do work which was physically as well as mentally stressful.

According to my perception, both views have some basis. No doubt, in the past people had to do more work and were mentally occupied and had to ace hardships but the modern world has made the life more happening and competitive. So people are in constant pressure to maitain today's life standards.

In conclusion, stres is not a new word. It was previously existed but today's life or knowledge have made it more clear as well as prominent term.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and give your own position, so the response covers the main parts of the task. The first body paragraph links modern stress to work, finances and social media; the second recognises past hardships such as poverty and war. Your opinion—that both views have some basis—is also stated. However, the ideas are only briefly supported: the social-media example does not explain clearly how it increases pressure, and the claim that people in the past did more work needs qualification or evidence. The conclusion mainly repeats that stress existed before and is more prominent now. Develop each main point with a clearer explanation or a specific example, and make your comparison more precise. The response meets the stated length requirement; 11 words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, your opinion, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. However, some links between ideas are mechanical, and progression within paragraphs is not always smooth. For example, the first body paragraph moves from a general claim about modern life to a list of pressures and then to social media without fully showing how these points connect. The opinion paragraph also repeats earlier ideas rather than developing the comparison. Use clearer cause-and-effect links and refer back to the central contrast between actual pressure and recognition of stress.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “financial responsibilities,” “limited resources,” “psychological disorders,” and “competitive,” which helps address the topic. However, noticeable spelling, word-choice and collocation errors reduce precision: “competiton,” “psycological diorders,” “stres,” and “more happening” are examples. Some expressions are also awkward, such as “the life is more complicated and anxious” and “maintain today’s life standards.” These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the main argument, but they make parts of it less natural and exact. Check spelling carefully and learn common word partnerships; for instance, people may face “financial pressures” and try to “maintain their standard of living.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “but” and a relative clause in “work which was physically as well as mentally stressful.” The overall meaning is generally understandable. However, some sentence structures and verb forms are faulty. In the introduction, “people suffer from this condition is more common” combines two structures incorrectly; write, for example, “stress is more common” or “people suffer from stress more than in the past.” The sentence beginning “there were terms like stress…” also needs restructuring, and “they did not particularly said” has an incorrect verb form. Article use and agreement are inconsistent in phrases such as “the life” and “today’s life or knowledge have.” Review clause construction, past-tense forms and subject–verb agreement.

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