Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-04

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 modern societies, stress is considered as a subject of debate. Some people think that it has increased in current generation more than ever before, while other argue that it existed more in the past, but people were not aware of it. In this essay, I will discuss both sides of argument, and present my view in favor of the earlier point.

On one hand, people say that individuals are suffering with a lot of anxiety and mental issues more than the past due to several reasons. Firstly, there is an unequal distribution of opportunities and resources across the world. Some individuals get more advantages than others in terms of academic qualification, employment, and living standards. Consequently, it results in low self-esteem, feeling of helplessness, trigger competition among the individuals and give them stress. Secondly, people have busy routines, and do not have time to connect with family members and friends to share or discuss their personal issues. It causes loneliness and emotional stress, especially in young peoples.

On the other hand, opponents believe that the the extent of stress was even more in past then the present, but due lack of psychological studies and related research, the issues were less identified. Moreover, lack of awareness and improper diagnosis make this even worse in earlier individuals. In past, people consider misunderstood depression as paranormal activities and mistreated it.

In my opinion, although there were several issues faced by people in past, problems faced by current ge

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The essay addresses both views and provides an opinion, but it is incomplete as it cuts off mid-sentence in the final paragraph. Furthermore, the response is under the 250-word minimum requirement. While the ideas regarding resource distribution and lack of historical awareness are relevant, the lack of a conclusion and the unfinished state of the argument significantly impact the development of the response. To reach a higher band, you must ensure the essay is complete and meets the minimum word count, as an unfinished response cannot fully develop the required arguments or provide a coherent summary of your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay uses basic paragraphing and some cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Consequently'. However, the logical flow is interrupted by the abrupt ending. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the transition between ideas could be more sophisticated. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices to link sentences and ensure that the progression of ideas leads to a fully realized conclusion. The current structure is functional but lacks the depth required for higher bands due to the incomplete nature of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'unequal distribution', 'self-esteem', and 'paranormal activities'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'suffering with a lot of anxiety' (should be 'suffering from') and 'earlier individuals' (which is slightly unnatural). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more precise academic terminology to express complex ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the the extent' (repetition), 'in past' (missing article 'the'), and 'due lack of' (missing 'to'). While these errors do not generally impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more error-free sentences and pay closer attention to articles, prepositions, and subject-verb agreement. Expanding your range of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will also help improve your score.

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.