Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-27

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)

Many people in the world face stress nowadays. It is generally believed that stress has become a crucial psychological disorder in contemporary era. However, some critics argue that the stress is not a new challenge, people were effected by it in the past too but they were unaware of this mental disease. Both the ideas carry weightage but the former notion weighs more.

Stress has become a menace today. The world has seen a drastic uprise in number of patients who suffer stress. In accordance with a research, it is likely that one in group of three people would be facing this illness. This surge is caused by many factors which are related to today`s time. For instance, the work life balance. People nowadays feel too anxious and depressed about the organizational goals and targets, they often work day and night fulfilling the requirements of their company, keeping their sleep at risk. This has direclty affected the minds of people and made serious sick.

However, critics argue that people have given extra importance to stress today. The people in the past used to tackle this issue, but there was no information available about it in that time. The people used to feel same level of anxiety and depression in the past, but they knew nothing about those terms.

In my opinion, although stress was there in past yet it is prevailing today in many areas of the world. The number of people facing it today is far less than the number of people facing it in the past. It is hard time people focused on their mental well being. The society should reflect the signs of optimism and hope so as the people suffering from this problem may not face a trigger in it. The situation is alarming and the need of the hour is to take effective measures to curtail the number of patients in this domain.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both views and state a position: “the former notion weighs more,” followed by the view that stress is more prevalent today. The discussion of modern pressures is relevant, particularly the example of work targets affecting sleep. However, the position becomes unclear when you later say that the number facing stress today is “far less” than in the past, which conflicts with your earlier claim that cases have surged. The past-generation view is also only briefly explained: you say people experienced anxiety but lacked information, without developing why their pressures may have been greater. The research claim is vague and unsupported. Clarify your comparison and extend each view with specific, relevant reasoning or examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph supporting the view that stress is a modern problem, a paragraph presenting the opposing view, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “However” and “In my opinion” help signal the direction of the discussion. Some connections are less clear, though. The conclusion’s claim that today’s numbers are “far less” than in the past does not follow from the earlier paragraph about a “surge,” so the argument’s progression is weakened. Within paragraphs, ideas sometimes move abruptly from causes to effects and recommendations. Use clearer links to show how each example supports the main point, and ensure the conclusion consistently reflects the position established in the introduction.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “psychological disorder,” “anxious and depressed,” “organizational goals,” and “mental well being.” There are also attempts at more formal expressions, such as “the need of the hour” and “effective measures.” However, some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, including “weightage,” “drastic uprise,” “made serious sick,” and “reflect the signs of optimism.” These sometimes make the intended meaning less precise, even though the overall message remains understandable. Aim for natural collocations and accurate word forms, and avoid overly dramatic or formulaic phrasing. For example, describe a rise in reported cases and explain that prolonged pressure can harm people’s mental health.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses (“although stress was there in past yet…”) and a cause-and-effect explanation of workplace pressure. Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Examples include “in contemporary era” and “in past,” which need articles, and “people were effected by it,” where the verb form is incorrect. In “This has direclty affected the minds of people and made serious sick,” the construction after “made” is incomplete. The sentence beginning “The number of people facing it today is far less…” also needs clearer grammatical and logical framing. Practise articles, verb forms, and complete complement structures, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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