Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-29

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 many societies, stress is seen as a huge problem today, and this belief is widely accepted that people today suffer from more stress compared to the people in the past. However, others aurgue that the narrative of stress today is exaggerated. They belive that people in the past were under pressure compared to current times, and belive that suffering from stress is just a myth.

On the one hand, stress is considered a major problem and seen as a threat to the society more than it was in the past. I believe this idea is more relevant because what I observe is people suffers from stress and anxiety today in huge amount and this trend is increasing because of many social and domestic problems. In addition, young people are the victims of stress due to the career, jobs and studies pressure. Furthermore, huge amount of young adults complete graduation every year but the job market is tough and produce less jobs therefor, more graduates are jobless which on of the reason of increase in stress. I think people in the past were less pressurized on studies and career compared to today. Additionally, young population today use more social media and watches celebrities and influencers lifestyle which is also a major reason of stress and anxiety.

However, It does not mean that people in the past have not experience stress at all. They also faced challenges and problems which makes them stressful. Every generation has problems and challenges in their lives so, the narrative of 'suffering did not exist' is not a right statement. Although, people today suffer more from stress compared to the past.

In conclusion, stress is a major problem and it existed in every generation. However, tackling stress would be more good idea to work and and overcome the challenges.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on modern versus past stress and providing a clear personal opinion. The writer establishes a position early and maintains it throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas leans towards repetition and over-generalisation. For instance, the discussion on young adults and job markets in the second paragraph touches on a relevant point ('huge amount of young adults complete graduation every year but the job market is tough'), but it remains somewhat under-developed and contains logical leaps. The counter-argument in the third paragraph is acknowledged adequately, though the final conclusion is brief and lacks depth. Despite these limitations in the depth of support, all required elements of the prompt are present, leading to a Band 6.5 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, separating the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion logically. The writer employs basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'However', and 'In conclusion' to signal shifts in argumentation. Nevertheless, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the sentence 'They belive that people in the past were under pressure compared to current times, and belive that suffering from stress is just a myth' suffers from repetitive structures and imprecise referencing. Furthermore, transitional links between sentences within the second paragraph feel slightly disjointed, causing the progression to stall at times. These features align closely with the Band 6 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'exaggerated', 'narrative', and 'influencers lifestyle'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors that occur throughout the text, including 'aurgue' instead of 'argue', 'belive' instead of 'believe', 'suffers' instead of 'suffer', and 'therefor' instead of 'therefore'. Additionally, collocation is sometimes awkward, such as 'produce less jobs' instead of 'create fewer jobs'. While these lexical inadequacies do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall message, they recur too frequently to attain a higher band, placing this response securely at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as subordinate clauses ('because what I observe is people suffers from stress...'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb agreement ('people suffers', 'people in the past have not experience'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing ('which on of the reason of increase in stress'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but comma splices and run-on sentences appear, such as in the final paragraph where clauses are awkwardly strung together. Because the writer attempts complex structures alongside persistent errors that occasionally require the reader to re-read, the grammar performance best reflects Band 6.0.

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