Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-15

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)

Stress is considered as one of the major issue in some societies, some even argue that people suffer from more stress than they did in the past. While some contend that people tend to overstate the amount of stress they are suffering from and that the people in older times were under more pressure but the idea of suffering from stress did not exist. In this essay, I will discuss both the viewpoints and further provide my opinion why I feel stress level is among people now than before.

On one hand, social media is the primary reason behind the increased stress level. Individuals are constantly comparing their lives online with others. Nowadays, there are many instances of young entrepreneurs dropping out of the university and are building successful start-ups. Such people get a lot of attention on online platforms. This lead to people comparing their current life with them, that creates lot of pressure on young adults. The pressure of starting a business and to get rich early in life has led to immense pressure on people.

On the other hand, some people believe that previous generations were under greater pressure and the idea of suffering from stress did not exist. This is because previously people would not share their emotions openly with others. By keeping their emotions to themselves would lead to greater pressure. For instance, according to a survey conducted by World Health Organisation, people avoided to share their emotions because it was regarded as a sign of weakness. However, life was much less stressful in older times.

In conclusion, I strongly agree people suffer from stress more today than before because of the pressure of getting successful early in their life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both views and state your position: you argue that stress is greater today, mainly because of pressure to succeed early. The social-media comparison example is relevant, and you also explain why earlier generations may have kept their feelings private. However, the discussion is only partial and the ideas remain under-developed. The second view is introduced, but the claim that people in the past faced greater pressure is not supported with a clear example; the final assertion that life was “much less stressful” also sits uneasily beside that view. Your opinion is clearest in the introduction and conclusion, but it needs fuller explanation and support throughout. Develop both sides more evenly and clarify how your examples support your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs signposted by “On one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a conclusion. This makes the two perspectives easy to identify. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the second paragraph moves from people hiding emotions to the claim that this caused greater pressure, then concludes that life was less stressful, without resolving the contrast. Some links are also awkward or repetitive, such as “This lead to people comparing their current life with them, that creates lot of pressure.” Use clearer sentence-to-sentence connections and pronoun references, and make each paragraph develop one consistent line of reasoning before moving to the next point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “social media,” “comparing their lives,” “pressure,” “emotions,” and “successful start-ups.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, and there is some attempt to use more formal language, such as “previous generations” and “immense pressure.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or repetitive, including “stress level is among people now than before” and “the amount of stress they are suffering from.” Some collocations are also unnatural, which reduces precision. Aim for more accurate topic-specific phrasing and vary repeated words such as “pressure” and “stress.” The suggestions below offer alternatives that fit your argument more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a contrast clause beginning “While some contend…” and a reason clause with “because.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur in basic agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “one of the major issue” needs a plural noun, while “This lead” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. The opening sentence also joins two complete ideas with a comma, and “By keeping their emotions to themselves would lead…” has a faulty structure. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas harder to follow. Practise building accurate complex sentences, checking agreement and articles, and separating independent clauses with appropriate punctuation.

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