Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

 

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Situations are meant to occur in daily life. Good and bad situations tend to occur. Satisfaction and unsatisfaction is part of human life. They are brought about by circumstances. Some individuals believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, but according to me, I strongly believe that accepting a situation is not all, but it is better to try and improve such situations in life. Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation because they do not have hope for a better outcome. Many individuals tend to lose hope after they get a negative outcome although they were aiming to acquire excellency. The lack of hope makes them to believe that it is best to accept a bad situation. For example, some workers may accept unsatisfactory job or shortage of money since they are pessimistic about improvement. Other individuals believe that it is better to keep trying and improve the bad situations they encounter with in daily life. According to them, they believe that nothing is permananent. For this case, they tend to try and improve negative situations they encounter in life. For example, when some students fail to meet the target they had set at the beginning of their academic level, they keep on trying so as to improve their performance. Improvement is their aim. In conclusion, some individuals believe it is best to accept a bad situation because they are pessimistic that a bad situation cannot improve while others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations. According to me, it is better to try and improve the bad situations we face in life, as the saying goes, no situation is permanent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both positions and state your own view clearly: you favour trying to improve difficult circumstances. The examples of workers accepting poor jobs or low income, and students working to improve their results, are relevant to the question. However, the explanations remain general and brief; for instance, the first view is mainly attributed to pessimism, without considering practical reasons someone might accept a situation. Your own argument also needs fuller development and support. The response contains 222 words, so it is 28 words below the required minimum; this limits the space available to develop the discussion. To strengthen the response, explain each view more fully and add a specific reason or consequence to support your opinion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. This helps the reader identify the main stages of the discussion. However, ideas within paragraphs are not always arranged in a clear progression, and several sentences repeat the same point—for example, the second body paragraph says that people believe nothing is permanent, then repeats that they try to improve negative situations. Linking phrases such as “For example” and “In conclusion” are used, but connections between claims could be clearer and less repetitive. Use each paragraph to develop one main idea in sequence, and make references such as “they” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “unsatisfactory job,” “shortage of money,” “negative outcome,” and “pessimistic.” There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “acquire excellency,” although this is not a natural collocation. Repetition of “bad situation,” “improve,” and “individuals” makes the vocabulary range feel limited, while errors such as “unsatisfaction” and “permananent” reduce accuracy. Choose more precise alternatives and check spelling and word forms. For example, varying “bad situation” with “difficult circumstances” or “adverse conditions” would make the discussion more flexible without changing its meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “because,” “although,” and “when,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, errors occur frequently enough to affect fluency and sometimes make sentences awkward. In “Satisfaction and unsatisfaction is part of human life,” the subject and verb do not agree; “they do not have hope” is followed by the faulty pattern “makes them to believe”; and “when some students fail to meet the target they had set” needs clearer punctuation around the clause. Articles and sentence patterns also need attention, as in “accept unsatisfactory job.” Practise accurate clause construction, agreement, and article use, then proofread each sentence.

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