Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-14

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 6.5)

Life is not a straight path. It is a mixture of good and bad life events. People have different opinions about how life situations should be handled. Some believe in accepting a bad situation and others believe in changing the situation. I will discuss both views and explain my view that it is important to change the situation.

People belonging to different cultures have variable brought up and beliefs. Some people believe that accepting how the life is going is better than trying to work on it. One of the reasons for this is that these people have seen the lives of people around them, who have settled for what they received in their lives. For example, if someone had a bad job or he was unable to earn enough money from his company, he accepts it as his fate and keeps on working the same place throughout his life. He may complain about it but he will not do any meaningful effort to change his circumstances.

Other people believe that no circumstances can change themselves unless someone makes a concious effort to improve the situation. For example, a brilliant employee in one of the leading companies of Japan, made a software for the company, his manager rejected it without even seeing it due to his personal issues with the employee. The employee decided to standup for himself. He found an opportunity where he was able to display his software and its advantages to the head of the company. He was highly appreciated and he was also made the lead incharge of the project.

Overall, it is very important to know how a bad situation can be corrected. Every problem has a solution, but the key to finding it, comes from the determination and self-motivation. In my opinion, every possible effort should be made to improve the situation. because a person who is willing to change himself or his circumstances, then he can achieve anything in the world.

No success in the world comes easy. Those who push forward and keep on working hard to improve their circumstances, ultimately change their outcomes too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both views and state a clear opinion in the introduction: you favour making efforts to change a bad situation. The two body paragraphs also give relevant examples, and the employee’s success illustrates your position. This meets the task well overall. However, the acceptance view is explained mainly through one person who stays in an unsatisfactory job, so the reasons for accepting difficult circumstances are not explored as fully as the case for change. The example about the Japanese employee is detailed but hypothetical and could be linked more explicitly to the broader issue of financial hardship as well as work. To strengthen the response further, develop the motivations behind acceptance and qualify your conclusion by recognising that some circumstances may not be easily changed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion that restates your position. Ideas generally progress logically, and signposts such as “For example,” “Other people believe,” and “Overall” help readers follow the discussion. This gives the essay a coherent arrangement. Some connections are less smooth, however. The transition from the general claim about effort to the detailed employee story is abrupt, and the final paragraph repeats the idea of working hard to improve circumstances rather than adding a distinct concluding insight. References such as “it” in “how the life is going” are also not always precise. Use clearer links between claims and examples, and make the conclusion synthesise the two views rather than restating your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “circumstances,” “determination,” “self-motivation,” and “outcomes.” These choices help express the contrast between accepting a situation and trying to improve it. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “display his software and its advantages.” However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “variable brought up,” “work the same place,” and “lead incharge” do not sound natural in context. Spelling errors such as “concious” and “standup” also reduce accuracy. Aim to learn common word partnerships and check spelling carefully; more precise phrasing would make your ideas sound clearer and more fluent without requiring unusually advanced vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “if someone had a bad job” and a relative clause in “people around them, who have settled.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the essay is readable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries. For example, “accepting how the life is going” has an unnecessary article, while “he accepts it as his fate and keeps on working the same place” has an incomplete prepositional pattern. The final sentence of the opinion paragraph begins “because” after a full stop, leaving the connection to the preceding sentence awkward. Review article use and sentence construction, and combine related ideas with accurate punctuation. Greater consistency would improve control of the varied structures you attempt.

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