Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-12
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)
It is often argued that accept the conditions of the environment where you are living even if it is bad and not up to the mark. While other people believe that do your efforts to improve such situation instead of making yourself comfortable in the bad situation.
On the one hand, some critics have their opinion to stay in the situation if it is bad and not satisfactory. For example if an employee in any organization faces criticism in the job although his wage is not enough for fulfilling his needs they believe that we should be settled in such kind of environment. May be if you will leave that job it will take long to find another or you will be hired in another company with more worse environment.
On the other hand, others believe and argued that instead of adjusting yourselves focus on the improvements. For instance if you are employed in a company and they are not paying you the salary which is worth satisfactory in this condition you should look for another job. Moreover if the environment is not friendly and it feels frustrating you should move for the betterment of your wellbeing instead of forcing yourselves in the situation which will disturb your mental and physical health.
On the above given details, I agree with the people who do not want to bear the situation which is frustrating and not satisfactory. For example if a person deals with the criticism in the environment it is depressing furthermore it can leads to serious health issues as well. Therefore, I agree with the people who will not adjust themselves in the bad situation rather they will try to improve it.
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 repetitive. For instance, the argument for improving a situation focuses almost exclusively on changing jobs, which limits the scope of the discussion. While the prompt asks for a discussion of 'bad situations' in general, the essay remains narrow. To reach a higher band, you should broaden your arguments to include other contexts, such as financial hardship or personal circumstances, and provide more nuanced reasoning rather than repeating the same points about workplace dissatisfaction.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression from the introduction to the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices like 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'On the above given details', which is not a standard cohesive phrase. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they flow more naturally between sentences would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'bad situation' and 'not satisfactory' multiple times. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'do your efforts' instead of 'make an effort' and 'more worse', which is grammatically incorrect. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated synonyms and collocations that are appropriate for an academic context, and avoid repeating the same descriptive terms throughout the essay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'it is often argued that accept' (should be 'that one should accept') and 'it can leads to' (should be 'it can lead to'). Additionally, there are issues with verb forms and article usage throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb tense usage will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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