Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-30

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)

Living in modern era has many disadvantages. Many people give opinion that the stress issues has increased rapidly due to transformation of technology. While some people argue that stress these days are not comparable to those of olden days and quote the stress is exaggerated. According to my perception I believe that stress of the modern day and past generation is not worth a debate.

The growing technology is one of the major reasons for modernization and has lead to constant connectivity, tight deadlines, and intense competition in the workplace. As a result employees often asked to be available after office hours or in vacations or trips. Which interfere the employees personal life and impacts mental health. Furthermore, Inflation of daily use products has significantly affected a common persons life. Moreover, rapid development require people to constantly update their skills.

Although, people who have experienced far more severe hardships, including poverty, war, and limited access to healthcare were not complaining about "stress". People who did not have concept of stress were enduring such time. Nevertheless they also had straight forward routines, economic crisis still they survived being stress free.

In conclusion, the different generation have different issues. Instead of debating between both the generation it is more viable to work on the thing which has brought such things and prepare a thesis how could this impacts be controlled. Discovering the trend how stress has changed during past years and knowing how this could be prevented is more wise opinion as the future generation will have least amount of stress and could focus on growth with a healthy life.

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 requirements of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the second paragraph provides clear reasons for modern stress, the third paragraph regarding past generations is less developed and relies on generalizations. The conclusion is a bit vague, focusing on 'preparing a thesis' rather than summarizing the core arguments effectively. To reach a higher band, ensure that each viewpoint is supported with more specific examples or logical explanations rather than just stating the existence of the issues.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Furthermore', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as starting a sentence with 'Which interfere the employees personal life'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would enhance the overall cohesion of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific language like 'transformation of technology', 'constant connectivity', and 'economic crisis'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'Inflation of daily use products' (should be 'rising costs of daily necessities') and 'more wise opinion' (should be 'wiser'). The range is sufficient for the task but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise collocations would improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('stress issues has increased', 'rapid development require'), missing articles ('in vacations', 'a common persons life'), and incorrect verb forms ('Which interfere the employees personal life'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and punctuation prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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