Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-13

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 the modern world, one group of commentators regarded stress as a major issue, and it is believed that individuals suffering from more stress than they did previously. While other group of commentators argue that the ratio of stress individuals have exaggerated nowadays. and say earlier generations were under more pressure, but nobody knows about the stress. However, it is witnessed that stress remained a serious problem in every era. I tend to shed light on both approaches and share my honest view.

To begin with, one group of commentators reckon that stress is now considered a serious problem and new generation is suffering from more stress as they have more academic pressure and young generation have to face more competition in every field. Moreover, they argue that they have to face more employment problems as job opportunities are reducing nowadays. Furthermore, they think all these factors leads to stress. To exemplify, An article published by BBC reveals that life is becoming more challenging for the young generation which leads to more stress.

Nevertheless, other group of commentators believed that nowadays people have exaggerated the ratio of stress. Additionally, they reckon that yong generations were under more pressures and they had to work more than today's generation but never said we are suffering from stress. Moreover, they believes modern technology has made their lives much easier than those of previous generations. To illustrate, a podcast by dawn reveals that past generation were faced more difficulties in their lives and young generation feel that they are under more stress.

To cap it all, i personally think that first group of commentators are more realistic and stress is now a serious problem and more individuals are secretly suffering from stress in young generation since modern day challanges are increasing day by day.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and state your own position: you explain that some people associate modern stress with academic competition and fewer job opportunities, while others point to the hardships faced by earlier generations. Your conclusion also clearly favours the first view. However, the discussion remains general and some claims are not fully explained. For example, the BBC and Dawn references are mentioned but their evidence is not described, and the point that earlier generations “never said we are suffering from stress” needs clarification: not naming stress does not necessarily mean people experienced less of it. Develop each side with a specific example and explain how it supports your comparison to make the response more complete and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph for each viewpoint, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “To begin with,” “Nevertheless,” and “To cap it all” help signal the stages of the discussion. Within paragraphs, however, ideas sometimes feel like a list, particularly the sequence of academic pressure, competition, and employment problems, rather than a developed line of reasoning. Some references are also unclear, as in “they” in the sentence about previous generations and “the ratio of stress individuals have.” The opening sentence beginning “and say earlier generations…” is disconnected after a full stop. Use clearer pronouns and connect each supporting point explicitly to the paragraph’s main claim.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “academic pressure,” “employment problems,” “competition,” and “previous generations,” which makes the main ideas understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “commentators” and “exaggerated.” However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise: “the ratio of stress” does not express the amount or level of stress, and “shed light on both approaches” is not a natural way to introduce a discussion. Spelling errors such as “yong” and “challanges,” along with repeated use of “commentators” and “stress,” limit the precision of the vocabulary. Choose more natural collocations and vary repeated terms where possible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “as,” “which,” and “but,” so there is some variety in structure. However, errors occur frequently and sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. For example, “it is believed that individuals suffering from more stress” lacks a finite verb; “one group … regarded” shifts awkwardly from present discussion to past tense; and “all these factors leads” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. Other examples include “other group … believed” and “they believes,” which need agreement corrections, as well as the sentence fragment beginning “and say earlier generations.” Review complete sentence structure, consistent tense, articles, and agreement, then proofread punctuation and capitalisation.

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