Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-13

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)

Stress has become a major concern in many societies, and some people believe that individuals experience more stress today than in the past. Others, however, argue that this is exaggerated and that previous generations faced greater pressure. Although people in the past certainly experienced serious difficulties, I believe that modern lifestyles have created higher levels of everyday stress because of technological development, social media and reduced family interaction.

Firstly, in the past there were problems and tense situations as well and people fought hard to got out of these situations. It is in the human nature to worry about things when they became out of control. However, in my opinion, due to less advancement in technology in the past, people often shared their problems and queries to their loved ones. As of now, people can't express their feelings to their loved ones and they take so much stress that they goes in to the depression.

Secondly, amount of stress people feel is exaggerated. It's getting out of hand for present generation. Every person nowadays is in a shear stress because of financial and love related problems. Social media plays a important role in shear stress. Meanwhile, previous generations were under more stress and pressure but they didn't adapt to it and save themselves from suffering. They worked hard and keep themselves calm.

In conclusion, present generation take stress and suffer from it and its consequences. Sharing with your loved ones and remain in isolation are the key factors for shear stress.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal position in the introduction. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the first body paragraph attempts to explain why modern stress is higher, the second paragraph is contradictory; it starts by stating that stress is 'exaggerated' but then immediately argues that it is 'getting out of hand'. This lack of clarity in the second body paragraph weakens the overall argument. Furthermore, the conclusion is repetitive and does not effectively synthesize the points made. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea that directly supports your thesis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the transition 'Meanwhile' in the second paragraph is used incorrectly to contrast the present with the past in a way that disrupts the flow. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the phrase 'these situations' in the first paragraph, which lacks a specific antecedent. While the paragraphing is sufficient, the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs to be more fluid to achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There is a persistent misuse of the word 'shear' (likely intended as 'sheer'), which appears multiple times. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic terms like 'problems', 'things', and 'stress'. To improve, you should aim to use more sophisticated collocations and avoid repeating the same words. For instance, instead of 'take so much stress', you could use 'experience significant psychological strain'. The spelling error 'shear' instead of 'sheer' is a recurring issue that impacts the overall lexical quality.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('they goes in to the depression', 'they didn't adapt to it and save themselves', 'present generation take stress'), incorrect verb forms ('fought hard to got out'), and missing articles ('plays a important role'). While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are frequent enough to prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage would significantly improve your accuracy.

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