Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-24

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 recent years, stress is regarded as a serious problem, and it is believed that the higher number of people now suffer from stress compared with the past. However, others disagree with this perspective and believe that people in the past were under pressure, but the concept of stress was not existed. This essay will discuss both view before explaining why i believe that previous generations were more likely to suffer from stress due to manual labor.

On the one hand, the use of machines and domestic appliances has increased in recent years to perform domestic chores. Moreover, worker also perform sedentary activities instead of doing physical activities. This sedentary lifestyle allows them to sit at a place for long hours for performing work and entertaining activities. As a result, when they do not prioritise their physical movement and exercising activities, they makes them feel tired and bored. Moreover, sometimes, their involvement in meaningless activities such as scrolling through reels and engaging in inappropriate content leads them to overthinking. As a result, the majority of people suffer from stress in the modern era.

On the other hand, in the past, people typically performed manual tasks and had to do heavy heavy physical activities. They did not have opportunity to use machines whenever they feel tired. farmers and other workers work for eighteen hours in the field engaging in intense labor. Therefore, they were more likely to suffer from anxiety and pressure. However, intense working activities were considered common and normal in the past as everyone had to perform their tasks by hand. Nowadays, an emphasis on the idea of suffering from stress on social media has made people aware of it. This leads them to overthinking even they do not actually know about it.

In conclusion, both perspective have their unique negative impacts on generations. The former is disadvantageous due to sedentary lifestyle which lead them to overthink. The later view is negative in a way people had not availability of machines to help. I believe that stress is exaggerated today and the problem is in the organization of people's lifestyle. However, people in the past were seriously suffered from stress due heavy labor.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, including both views and a personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat inconsistent. While the argument regarding manual labor in the past is clear, the connection between sedentary lifestyles and 'stress' in the modern era is slightly tenuous and lacks depth. The conclusion is a bit contradictory, as you state that stress is 'exaggerated' today but then acknowledge that people in the past 'seriously suffered'. To reach a higher band, ensure your position is consistent and that your supporting arguments are more logically linked to the core concept of stress.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and some transitions feel repetitive. For instance, 'As a result' is used twice in the same paragraph. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where 'The former' and 'The later' are used to refer back to complex ideas, which slightly obscures the logical progression of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'sedentary activities' and 'manual tasks'. However, there are instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'the concept of stress was not existed' (should be 'did not exist') and 'they makes them feel tired' (subject-verb agreement error). To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing. The range is sufficient for a 6.0, but lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'the higher number of people now suffer' (should be 'a higher number'), 'whenever they feel tired' (tense inconsistency), and 'people had not availability' (should be 'did not have the availability'). While these errors do not completely prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to keep the score at a 6.0. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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