Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-22

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 widely discussed issue in modern society, with some people believing that individuals experience greater pressure today than in the past, while others argue that the previous generation faced even more stressful conditions. In my view, both periods involved a significant amount of stress, but the nature of this pressure has changed considerably.

On the one hand, the older generation have belief of being a topper of a class must bring better career opportunities, so their parents forcing towards study and reduce playtime. In addition, since gender roles influence the way of working, women only handle household chores, and men gets financial burden. The fact that people did not talk about stress does not necessarily mean they experienced less of it. For example, if someone suffers from work-related anxiety might have been expected to tolerate it rather than seek professional help. Therefore, individuals have to act as a person with a strong mindset and emotional maturity, even when they are suffering from anxiety and depression.

On the other hand, nowadays people start believing in gender equality, so that women become independent and handle both work and household chores. Furthermore, while people become materialistic and keep updated with trends, youngsters started believing in "perfect life", and they developed a fear of being judged and being less confident due to body shaming. What is more, fast-paced working life technology creates a constant pressure for Today's workers. For instance, an employee may receives work-related email late at night, making it difficult to completely switch off from work.

In conclusion, although previous era of Gen-X may seem less stressful, they have major capacity to cope-up with stress. I believe suffering from mental pressure remained the same for both generations, but the way of handling stress is different for Gen-X and Gen-Z.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that stress is greater today versus that previous generations faced more pressure without acknowledging it—and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as comparing the expectations placed on older generations regarding academic success and gender roles with the modern pressures of materialism, constant connectivity through technology, and body shaming. However, some arguments in the body paragraphs tend to over-generalise or suffer from slight under-development due to expression issues. Overall, the task is well handled, demonstrating a clear overarching position and logical progression of ideas that satisfy the requirements for Band 6.5 or 7.0, leaning towards a solid Band 6.5 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing viewpoints and the writer's stance. Cohesive devices are employed, such as "On the one hand," "On the other hand," and "In conclusion," which help structure the essay. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, as seen in phrases like "the older generation have belief of being a topper" and "Furthermore, while people become materialistic... youngsters started believing." These slight disruptions in cohesion prevent the essay from achieving a higher band score. Nonetheless, the logical progression is maintained throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as "materialistic," "gender equality," "professional help," and "fast-paced working life." However, there are frequent word-choice and collocation errors that detract from precision, such as "have belief of being a topper," "men gets financial burden," and "major capacity to cope-up with stress." While these lexical inaccuracies cause occasional strain for the reader, communication is not impeded, and the range remains sufficient to convey the intended meaning, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures through conditional clauses and relative pronouns. However, there are numerous grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ("the older generation have," "men gets," "employee may receives"), awkward phrasing ("if someone suffers from work-related anxiety might have been expected"), and tense inconsistencies. Although these errors are frequent, they rarely impede overall communication, as the core message remains understandable. This balance of complex attempts mixed with recurring grammatical inaccuracies is characteristic of Band 6 performance.

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

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