Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-12

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)

Utterly, stress can lead to various health issues. In few societies, stress is now considered as a major issue, and it is thought that individuals suffer from more stress than they did in the past. However, others feel that previous generations were under more pressure but the ideas of suffering from stress did not exist. This essay will discuss parallel views along with my logical opinion.

Apparently, there are many reasons to support the former view but prime one could be increasing needs of modern generation. To elaborate, in the past individuals work just to fullfill their basis needs for survival but nowadays demands of humans has been surged rapidly related to enjoyment, technology and many more due to which people work overnight. As a result, people are more under pressure. Secondly, rat race. To justify it, individuals want to compete other people to gain respect in the society due to which people feel more pressurized to achieve their goals. As a result, many individuals are facing mental health issues.

However, there are many factors to support latter view but cardinal one could be lack of technology. To make it more clear, in past access to technology were limmited due to which people work manually which requires lot of hardwork and leads to fatigued body and directly impact brain. Moreover, for the basics survival job oppourtunity were less as compared to now due to which individuals feels stress for their bread and butter.

I opine that, former view holds enough water.

In crux, both the views stands true in their own virtue with equal validations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion, meeting the basic requirements of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the explanation of why previous generations faced more stress is limited to 'lack of technology' and 'manual work,' which lacks depth. The conclusion is also very brief and does not effectively synthesize the arguments presented. To improve, you should expand on your points with more specific examples or logical reasoning to ensure the position is fully developed throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'To elaborate,' 'Secondly,' and 'However,' but these are sometimes used in a mechanical or repetitive way. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is functional, but the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, the final two paragraphs are very short and lack the necessary cohesive links to connect them to the rest of the essay, making the overall progression feel slightly disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'surged rapidly,' 'rat race,' and 'cardinal.' However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'Utterly' (used incorrectly at the start), 'parallel views' (instead of 'opposing views'), and 'bread and butter' (an idiom that is slightly informal for an academic essay). Spelling errors like 'fullfill,' 'basis,' 'limmited,' and 'oppourtunity' also occur. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring correct spelling and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'in past access to technology were limmited' (subject-verb agreement and article usage), 'individuals work just to fullfill' (tense inconsistency), and 'both the views stands true' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the control over complex structures is inconsistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, consistent verb tenses, and the correct use of articles, which are currently causing frequent minor errors throughout the text.

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.