Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-07
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 5.5)
Some people believe that, in a bad situation we should remain calm and accept the situation like a shortage of money or unsatisfactory job, while other says it is better to try and improve such situations. I will discuss both perspectives and give my opinion.
On the one hand, people think, whenever we face tough situation so that time we should accept the situation and cooperate with it. Such as get a unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. Sometimes, we take decision in hurry so it will can be wrong in this kind of situation and we face major problems again so it is better to survive in bad situation rather than take wrong decision. For example, if person have shortage of money and he take decision of if he take any money from another people with high interest so that time, this decision will be wrong for him because sometimes people not able to give money back to person who give him and interest rate increase more.
On another side, people think it is better to try and improve such situations because, if we try to solve our problem so sometime, it can solve and we pass our bad situation. Sometimes, people well understand their problem and try to solve it after that, they become happy. For example, If one person do not get job easily but, if they try more to find jobs so they can get job rather than waiting for their luck.
In my opinion, both perspective have advantages or some kind of disadvantages also but i think if people try more to solve their problem so it can give good result after facing some problems.
In conclusion, some people believe that we should remain calm in tough situation, while other thinks we should try and improve such situation, i believe with second situation.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The arguments regarding accepting a bad situation are repetitive and lack depth, relying on a single, slightly confusing example about borrowing money. The second perspective is also underdeveloped, with the example of finding a job being quite generic. To reach a higher band, you need to extend your arguments with more specific reasoning or varied examples. While the position is clear throughout, the overall development is basic, which aligns with the descriptors for Band 5.5 to 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On another side,' and 'In conclusion' to signal shifts in the argument. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the internal flow within paragraphs is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing (e.g., 'cooperate with it'). Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the transition between sentences could be smoother. The structure is sufficient for a Band 6, as the overall arrangement is coherent despite some limitations in the variety of cohesive tools.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on simple, repetitive language such as 'bad situation,' 'solve,' and 'try.' There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'cooperate with it' to describe accepting a situation, and 'if person have shortage of money.' While the meaning is generally clear, there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your points, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility needed for a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('other says,' 'person have'), article usage ('the' is often missing), and awkward sentence construction ('it will can be wrong'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. You need to focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like pluralization and verb tense consistency to improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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