Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-11

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)

Few people argue that accepting a terrible situation such as inadequate job or financial issues is a best thing, others argue that we should try to improve our circumstances. In my opinion, we should take steps to improve our situations because it is important for career development and better lifestyle.

Some people believe that it is important to improve our bad situations such as unsatisfactory job and shortage of money because it can be helpful for better career and lifestyle. In this era, corporate jobs can be very beneficial for getting experience and knowledge. Moreover, satisfactory job with better earning can be helpful for a person who desires to start his own business. From my perspective, in this era, luxurious lifestyle is highly appreciated which can only be attained by good financial conditions. For instance, an office employee with a little earning cannot be successful than the corporate employee who get enough experience to develop a better career.

On other hand, some people argue that there is no need to change our poor conditions because they believe that it teaches the patience and gives us a peaceful life. Furthermore, they think that we should be satisfied by our jobs and earnings, we can live a stress free life without future concerns. However, in my opinion, adequate jobs and better earning is the necessity of the today's world, as the expenses are very high for a good lifestyle. Everybody is concerned about their families well-being, this can be only possible by better financial situations.

In conclusion, although some people argue that we should be thankful for our situations because it gives us peaceful life, yet this essay agrees that, we should try to change our conditions because it is very essential for better career.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument for improving one's situation relies heavily on the concepts of 'career' and 'lifestyle' without exploring other dimensions like personal growth or psychological well-being. The counter-argument regarding patience and a peaceful life is mentioned but lacks depth, as it is quickly dismissed. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more distinct, well-supported arguments for both perspectives rather than repeating similar points about earnings and career advancement throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'On other hand', and 'In conclusion' to link your points. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow. For example, the phrase 'On other hand' is missing the article 'the', and the connection between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, but it is somewhat limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'bad situations', 'better career', and 'better lifestyle' are used frequently. While you attempt to use some less common vocabulary, such as 'corporate jobs' and 'luxurious lifestyle', there are instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'inadequate job' (should be 'unsatisfactory job') and 'cannot be successful than' (should be 'cannot be more successful than'). Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise synonyms and collocations would significantly enhance the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder the flow. Common issues include missing articles ('a best thing', 'the today's world'), incorrect preposition usage, and subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'corporate employee who get enough experience'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some run-on sentences and comma splices. To improve, focus on mastering basic article usage and ensuring that your complex sentences are grammatically sound, as these errors currently prevent the writing from reaching a higher band.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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