Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-09

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)

Nowadays, stress is regarded as a major problem, and it is believed that the amount of stress people suffer from today is more as compared to the past. On the other hand, others argue that the amount of stress people have today is exaggerated. They also believe that previous generations were under more pressure, but the idea of suffering from stress did not exist. In my opinion, the level of stress in today's generation is clearly more as compared to the previous generation due to several reasons.

Firstly, one of the main reason why people in today's time believe that stress is comparitively more is due to increased competition. Competition has definetly increased in today's generation whether it is for a better job or for a better education. So, no matter the age this competition has surely increased the stress level in both adults and childrens. Additionally, modernisation is also one of the few reasons stress has increased. People living in today's generation have way more needs and wants due to this modernisation and for survival they have to manage their needs. As for their wants it has also increased with the changing society. For instance, if they're planning on buying something but a better option has arrived in the market but more expensive than their initial choice, then they'll have to work more so they can afford the better option.

As for the previous generations who think that they were under far more pressure. Employment was one of the main reason for stress, as in the older times employment oppourtinities were far less and there was a challenge to earn money and feed families. Similarly, people from older generation also believe that the tasks that they had were far more difficult and complex due to absence of technology in their time. People had to do far more difficult activities just to make a living or just to meet any of their wants. For example, if any person had to reach a destination, they didn't have mobile to book a cab. They had to first reach the station for any particular public transport and after waiting for minutes or even hours then they would reach their destination.

In conclusion, Altough people feel that the amount of stress individuals have today is exaggerated and previous generations were under more pressure due to less employment generation and far more difficult tasks. I believe that people of today's generation has way more stress because of increased competition and modernisaton.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both perspectives and state your own view clearly: you argue that stress is greater today, while explaining that earlier generations faced employment difficulties and demanding tasks. The examples about competition, consumer choices and travel are relevant, and the response stays focused on the question. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The modern pressures are explained in more detail than the earlier generation’s pressures, and the travel example illustrates inconvenience more than stress itself. The claim that modernisation increases needs and wants also needs a clearer link to stress. To strengthen the response, explain how each example creates pressure and develop both viewpoints with comparable depth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Additionally,” “Similarly” and “For example” help readers follow the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and some connections between claims and examples are not fully clear. For instance, the travel example follows the point about older people’s difficult tasks, but its relevance to stress could be made explicit. The conclusion also repeats the main claims rather than bringing the comparison together. Use clearer links that show cause and effect, and make sure each paragraph develops one central point in a logical sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “competition,” “employment opportunities,” “pressure” and “modernisation.” However, the range is limited by repeated general words and phrases such as “stress,” “people,” “more” and “far more difficult.” Several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce accuracy, including “comparitively,” “definetly,” “oppourtinities” and “modernisaton.” Some expressions are also unnatural, such as “people living in today’s generation” and “the amount of stress people have.” Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully. This would make the argument clearer and more natural without requiring unusually advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “whether,” “if” and “because,” so there is some structural variety. However, errors occur frequently and sometimes make sentences awkward to follow. For example, “one of the main reason” has a number-agreement error, while “the level of stress … is clearly more” uses an unclear comparison structure. In “people of today’s generation has,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “Altough” begins a conclusion sentence with inconsistent capitalisation and punctuation. Review agreement, articles and sentence boundaries, and make comparisons grammatically complete—for example, specify what today’s stress is greater than.

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