Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-31

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)

The given topic brings up the issue of people suffering from stress and how people in delt with it and what are the reasons that are causing such problems in our society.

Today stress is one of the major problem in our society and most people are suffering from it and most of them are teens and adults from age 16-28. We have made our society so complex and chaotic that each and every person who is park of it is getting affected.

Students are worried about their studies they pressurised by their family and society. Parents are busy in their jobs working that they forget to give importance to their children and their families, by such irresponsibilities they are alternatively affecting each other they are in the web of this reality. This causes multiple damages and people use dangerous ways to escape stress and tension. For example: drugs, dangerous medicines, crimes, and sometime hypertension and stress becomes the reason for people to sucide.

People in the past weren't involved into such complexities and tensions of the society they were free people weren't desperate about classes rich poor everyone minded their own business. Humans used to work in farms work with nature relived their stress with the society got modernise and became more and more difficult for each citizen.

We can see hundreds of people die due to stress jealousy and there hurdles. Best way to relive stress in my opinion is nature and self control nature can help us to escape the hurdles of this society and self control will keep us away from dirty ideas and overcome the matrix.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument, but the development is uneven. While you mention that modern society is complex and that past generations lived simpler lives, the arguments lack depth and specific evidence. The prompt asks for a discussion of both views and your opinion; however, your opinion is only briefly mentioned in the final paragraph. To improve, ensure each body paragraph has a clear topic sentence and fully developed supporting points. The current structure feels a bit rushed, and some points, such as the mention of 'the matrix', are vague and do not contribute to a formal academic argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often disjointed. There is a lack of cohesive devices (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in contrast') to link sentences and paragraphs logically. For example, the transition between the discussion of modern stress and the comparison with the past is abrupt. Additionally, some sentences are run-on or lack proper punctuation, which hinders the reader's ability to follow the progression of your argument. Using a wider range of linking words would significantly improve the overall structure and readability of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on repetitive phrasing, such as 'society' and 'stress', and some word choices are informal or imprecise, such as 'dirty ideas' or 'relived their stress'. There are also some errors in word formation and collocation, such as 'people in delt with it' and 'sucide'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more academic collocations and synonyms to express your ideas with greater sophistication and accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include missing articles, incorrect verb tenses, and run-on sentences (e.g., 'Parents are busy in their jobs working that they forget...'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and periods. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and ensuring subject-verb agreement. Attempting more complex structures is good, but ensure they are grammatically sound before using them in an exam setting.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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