Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-19

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)

There are two school of thoughts, one believe in accepting the worsed circumstances, for example an unrewarding career or poverty, without giving a try to escape the situation. Wheras, second group firmly believe in hard work and to make the circumstances better.

First of all both thoughts and arguments are respectable. But i'm the person who believes in working hard and try to improve the situations in the best way possible.

The people, who think that they should accept every kind of situation, no matters if it is good or bad, most of them are firm believer of fate, which means the situation or event that occured was suppose to happen at any cost and no one could stop or make it better.

I oppose that school of thought because it contains an element of demotivation. For example if there is nothing in my hand, so why do i work for it?

Arguably the second group of individuals, who believes that hard work is indispensable to keep you motivated and can also be instrumental to escape hard situations like, the poverty, undesired job or any kind of hardship, are close to my heart. Because this statement conatins an element of hope.

The world, which is unfair to everyone demands your efforts and inputs to reach your desired goals and by putting yourself in a great deal of effort will lead you to your destination, whether it is a satisfactory job, business or wealth.

In summary, I would just say, if some one work hard for something in true latters, they would definately achieve it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal position. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. The arguments regarding 'fate' versus 'hard work' are relevant but lack depth or specific examples to fully support the claims. The essay tends to over-generalize, and the conclusion is quite brief. To improve, you should aim to expand on your reasoning by providing more detailed explanations or hypothetical scenarios that illustrate why one approach might be more effective than the other in a real-world context.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For instance, the transition 'Wheras, second group' is grammatically awkward and lacks a proper determiner. Additionally, the logical progression between sentences is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the transition from the discussion of fate to your personal opinion. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in contrast') would help create a smoother flow between your ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and incorrect word choices, such as 'worsed circumstances' (should be 'worst' or 'worsening'), 'true latters' (likely meant 'true letters' or 'earnest'), and 'no matters' (should be 'no matter'). While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated collocations and the presence of spelling errors limit the score. Focusing on learning word families and common collocations will help you express your ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('one believe', 'second group... believes'), article misuse ('the poverty'), and punctuation errors. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and the correct usage of articles. Additionally, try to incorporate more complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses or relative clauses, while ensuring they are punctuated correctly.

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

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