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)

Nowadays, stress is considered as a major problem, and many people contend that people suffer from more stress today while other argue that old generation was under more stress. Both arguments hold merit. I firmly believed that there is more stress for young people today in this rapid technological advanced society because of many reasons which I'll explain in the essay.

It is true that in the past, people do not have many facilities and people had to physically work a lot. There were less educational institutes and few job opportunities. But the families were bigger and they lived together. Consequently, people shared their problems and felt relief. There were less sources of communication which have many drawbacks but the positive impact was that the people didn't compare themselves with other as it happens nowadays. They spend more time in nature and eat healthy organic food which are very helpful for their mental health.

Today, in this advanced world with more facilities than in the past, it brings more stress to human mind. The competitive job market, heavy work overload, minimum wage, meet deadlines and hard to maintain a work life balance, have detrimental affect on mental well-being.

Where AI brings many benefits for human, it also brings job automation and taking human jobs. Thus, unemployment causes stress.

Another significant reason is the social media influence on young minds. The streaming platforms providing sensational content and celebrity culture which bring unrealistic expectations, peer pressure, comparison and low self-esteem. Furthermore, the families living apart and being busy don't have time for providing emotional support. The unhealthy eating habits and not connected to nature are also reasons of stress.

To conclude, although there was more physical stress in the past but they were emotionally intelligent than this generation. Some effective solutions are therapies, yoga and medication. Support from family and close friends can also help in reducing stress in this advance world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the impact of technology, social media, and the loss of community support. However, some points are under-developed; for instance, the mention of 'medication' as a solution is quite abrupt and lacks explanation. The position is consistent throughout, but the development of arguments could be more nuanced to reach a higher band. The essay effectively balances the two perspectives while maintaining a clear stance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'Consequently', 'Thus', and 'Furthermore', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. There is a clear progression of ideas from the past to the present. However, referencing is occasionally slightly unclear, and the flow between sentences could be improved to sound more natural and sophisticated. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, covering topics like 'technological advanced society', 'detrimental affect', and 'unrealistic expectations'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'people do not have many facilities' (should be 'did not have') and 'not connected to nature' (should be 'lack of connection to nature'). The student attempts to use less common vocabulary, but some errors in form and usage persist. While the meaning is always clear, the lack of precision prevents a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, such as 'people do not have' instead of 'did not have' and 'other argue' instead of 'others argue'. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in sentence construction. While the errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of full control over complex structures. More attention to tense consistency and article usage would improve the score.

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