Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-08

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)

Recently, research has shown that stress is the main factor causing suffering to the people of current era as compared to the past. Moreover, the level of stress people have in present is overstated. In addition, the previous age group had more tension but they were more prone to handle the situation rather just suffering.

In my opinion, population now a days have fewere abilities to tackle the situation under pressure which ended up causing suffering.

On the other hand, many arguments undergoing about the older generation used to be more socialised and helping each other. Such as, neighbours would often support one another by sharing food, helping with household tasks, or taking care of each other’s children. As a result, people developed stronger social bonds and a greater sense of community. Different mind can give different ideas leading to solution of the problem rather just being in the loop hole.

However, adults of current generation prefer isolation which brings anxiety and depression and they end up being suffering. Moreover, stress is highly

linked to more demands of modren era. The rising levels of stress among the younger generation are closely linked to academic pressure, financial concerns, and the demands of modern life

In conclusion, although some people believe that stress has always been a

normal part of life and that its impact on the current generation is exaggerated, I believe that modern life has created additional sources of pressure. Academic demands, financial difficulties and social expectations can significantly affect people's mental well-being. Therefore, the increasing levels of stress experienced by people today should be taken seriously.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on stress—that it is a growing modern problem and that it is exaggerated compared to past generations—and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is limited and at times disjointed. For instance, the introduction and second paragraph contain overlapping and slightly confusing assertions about whether stress is overstated or actually increasing. While you present relevant points regarding modern isolation and academic pressure (such as 'Academic demands, financial difficulties and social expectations'), some supporting arguments are underdeveloped or lack depth. To achieve a higher band score, you should ensure that each viewpoint is fully explored with extended, well-supported arguments and clearer transitions between different aspects of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with logical division into paragraphs, including an introduction, body paragraphs addressing each viewpoint, and a conclusion. However, cohesion is frequently faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases like 'Moreover' and 'In addition' are used repetitively and sometimes inappropriately to link ideas that do not logically follow from the previous sentence. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as 'many arguments undergoing about the older generation used to be more socialised', which disrupts the flow. Paragraphing is present and generally attempts to separate main ideas, but internal paragraph cohesion needs greater clarity and more natural cohesive devices to guide the reader seamlessly through your arguments.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey basic points about stress, generations, and modern life. You attempt some less common lexical items and collocations, such as 'mental well-being', 'financial concerns', and 'social expectations'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and grammatical word-form issues throughout the text. Examples include 'people of current era' instead of 'the current era', 'population now a days have fewere abilities' (which also contains a spelling error), 'older generation used to be more socialised', and 'loop hole' used incorrectly to describe being stuck in a repetitive cycle. These errors occasionally impede clear communication and restrict your lexical score to the band 5 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors in verb forms, article usage, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions. Examples of errors include 'people have in present is overstated', 'population now a days have fewere abilities', 'rather just suffering', 'adults of current generation prefer isolation which brings anxiety and depression and they end up being suffering', and 'older generation used to be more socialised and helping each other'. Punctuation is also problematic, as seen in missing full stops or fragmented sentences (e.g., 'Moreover, stress is highly linked to more demands of modren era.'). These errors occur frequently across the text, though meaning can usually still be discerned.

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