Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

There are contradictory statements about stress being made by people in our societies. Some people believe that this issue has a dominant presence now as compared to past. In contrast, others think that the idea of suffering was not present in past, therefore they did not feel stressed even though they had much pressure. In my opinion, stress really is a concerning issue that has been existing since people exist. Therefore, it must be taken serious without regarding it as just an exaggeration.

On the one hand, people believe that stress has become a common existential part of our society. People are more stressed now as compared to the past, where emotions and circumstances felt to be manageable but never caused depression. A major contributing factor to this is the rat-race that has been happening, which has made people enter this non stopping competition. With the technological advancements and increasing competition in the world, everyone wants to achieve certain amount of things such as wealth, great career, and more within a specific time. Not only does this behaviour has made people demanding, but it has also created huge amount of pressure that makes no sense. Moreover, in past, everything was slow-paced and there was less competition in every aspect of life.

On the other hand, individuals think that stress just an overwhelming behaviour in the current time. To them, the former generations were more under pressure, and still felt stress-free. This is solely because the idea of suffering, depression, or anxiety was not known by people, which made them stay focused on their actual directions without even feeling a brink of burden. However, awareness about such emotions is very common nowadays that subsequently end ups developing feelings of suffer. That's why people start to panic in every non-pleasant situation, which eventually leads to exaggeration.

In my opinion, both opinions about stress have a valid point. It is true that people nowadays somehow overreact more as compared to those in past. But, the point of calling it exxageration might pose serious concerns. Stress is a serious problem that must be addressed properly and should never be taken lightly. People have feelings that significantly affects both mental and physical well-being, therefore it should be taken into account by each and every individual.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and give a clear personal position: stress is a genuine concern, even if people today may sometimes overreact. The discussion of modern competition, technology and ambition is relevant, and you explain why earlier generations may have seemed less affected by stress. However, some points are asserted rather than fully developed. For example, the claim that life in the past was “slow-paced” and involved less competition would benefit from a concrete example or qualification, and the explanation that awareness causes people to panic could be examined more carefully. Your conclusion restates your view but does not fully resolve how the two perspectives fit together. Develop and support these less-developed ideas to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In my opinion” makes the progression easy to follow, and the central position remains visible. This meets the lower-band expectations and shows some stronger control through purposeful paragraphing. However, connections between claims are occasionally mechanical or unclear. For instance, “therefore they did not feel stressed” does not clearly distinguish lacking a label from not experiencing stress, while “That’s why” makes the link between awareness and panic sound more certain than the preceding explanation supports. Use more precise referencing and vary transitions so that relationships between ideas are explicit rather than simply signposted.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic vocabulary, including “technological advancements,” “competition,” “mental and physical well-being,” and “overwhelming.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and expressions such as “rat-race” show an attempt to use more vivid language. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “dominant presence,” “non stopping competition,” and “a brink of burden” do not express the intended meanings naturally. There is also a spelling error in “exxageration,” and “existential part” is not an appropriate phrase in this context. Aim for accurate, conventional collocations before choosing more elaborate wording, and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including contrast clauses and the inversion in “Not only does this behaviour…”. Most sentences remain understandable, and the paragraph structure gives you opportunities to express cause and contrast. Some grammatical errors nevertheless recur. Examples include “as compared to past” and “in past,” which need an article or a different construction; “this behaviour has made” after “Not only does” should use the base verb; and “stress just an overwhelming behaviour” is missing a verb. In “feelings that significantly affects,” the verb does not agree with the plural noun. Review articles, subject–verb agreement, and verb forms after auxiliaries, then proofread complex sentences to ensure each clause is complete.

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