Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-12

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)

In the modern world, everyone is so busy in their own schedule that no one has time to relax or talk to their loved ones. Stress is one of the major concern nowadays due to which most of the people struggle as compared to past some argue. While other says that people in the past has more responsibilities but, there are no prevailing terms like stress, pressure exists. I will discuss both views along with my opinion in the forthcoming paragraphs.

To commence with, one of the main reason of chronic stress nowadays is that people are doing extra work to fullfill their desires. This is because nowadays people are working more to get beyond their basic needs like luxary home, cars, expensive cloths. For example, if a person working 9-5 he can easliy fullfill his needs but now everyone is in the race of showing each other that they have luxary things. As a result they have to wok more, more working hours means extra workload, meeting deadlines which is the reason why people feel more exhausted.

On the flip side, past generation have limited resources although they have same responsibilities but there were no such kind of things like stress, anxiety or feeling pressured. In other words, people in the past are less likely interseted in buying luxary things because the source of income is limited and they only buy what they need. This is the major difference between the people in the past and the present. For example, there is only one person in the family who work to fullfill the needs of all members so their needs are limited and yet, they are more happy.

To conclude, in my opinion, looking for what we need over what we want is the main reason behind happiness of the past geberation. I believe that people of the previous generation are having more stress because they do not have as many opportunities as nowadays people have. But there are no terminology like stress exist because they are clear what they need not what they want.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both perspectives and give a personal view, so the response addresses the main parts of the prompt. The first body paragraph explains how working longer to afford luxury goods can increase pressure, while the second contrasts this with earlier generations’ more limited expectations. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the claim that people in the past had “same responsibilities” is not supported with a clear example, and the conclusion introduces the idea that previous generations had more stress, which conflicts with the earlier suggestion that they were happier and less affected. Clarify whether you think stress itself has increased or whether it was simply less recognised in the past, then support that position consistently with specific reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two paragraphs presenting contrasting views, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “To commence with,” “On the flip side,” and “To conclude” help readers follow the intended progression. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Stress is one of the major concern nowadays due to which most of the people struggle as compared to past some argue” makes it difficult to identify where one idea ends and the next begins. The conclusion also shifts direction without a transition that explains the change in position. Use clearer sentence boundaries and link each example directly to the claim it supports; this would make the progression more consistent and the referencing easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “chronic stress,” “responsibilities,” “limited resources,” “workload,” and “meeting deadlines.” These choices help communicate the contrast between modern work pressures and earlier lifestyles. However, the range is limited by repeated general words such as “people,” “needs,” and “things,” and several word-choice or collocation errors make parts less natural, including “in their own schedule,” “fullfill their desires,” and “luxary things.” Spelling errors such as “easliy,” “cloths,” and “geberation” are also noticeable. Aim for more precise expressions for financial and social pressures, and check spelling and common word partnerships so your ideas are expressed more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including explanations with “because” and contrasts introduced by “although” and “while.” This gives the response some structural variety. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “one of the main reason … is,” “past generation have,” and “there are no terminology … exist.” The opening sentence also joins several ideas in a way that obscures their relationship. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and complete clause structures, and review punctuation when combining ideas. Building reliable simple sentences first, then adding subordinate clauses, would improve clarity and accuracy.

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