Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-06
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)
All the people must have to take some critical decisions at certain point. In that way, in preference of some individuals, accepting bad situation is a better option than taking action against situation to cope with it. This essay will discuss both the perspective before presenting my opinion.
To begin with, the fear of failure can be the major reason behind this type of mindset. Sometimes at job or at a difficult financial condition, taking action can make their condition more worse. For instance, many residents of slum areas prefer to gamble to become rich overnight whether it could be purchasing a lottery ticket or playing cards. Although, gambling has the potential to make someone rich overnight but it also contains the equal amount of risk. Moreover, accepting bad situation are comparatively easier than taking action. As action requires for proper planning, execution and hard-work. Additionally, it comes with some risk which asks for the self belief and confidence.
On the other hand, an optimistic person always prefers to take action to overpower the situation. A person who always stays positive, they are having better self confidence and belief which are an essential to take actions. In addition, positivity foster them to work hard to tackle the situation. To illustrate, rappers are the best examples for it. Most of the rappers are came from the slums and majority of them have confessed on their podcasts that it is the self belief and faith on their selves which brought them to that stage.
In conclusion, tries to improve situation definitely comes with some dangers but well planned structure of execution can mitigate the risk to some extent. Therefore, I believe that to do something to improve situation is better.
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 essay addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The argument regarding why people accept bad situations is supported by an example of gambling, which is not entirely relevant to the prompt's focus on 'unsatisfactory jobs' or 'shortage of money'. The second body paragraph is more relevant but relies on a somewhat narrow example of rappers. While the task is addressed, the ideas could be more thoroughly extended and supported with more logical, real-world examples to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'In that way, in preference of some individuals'. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. Overall, the structure is coherent, but the management of cohesive devices lacks the flexibility required for a higher score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'mitigate' and 'optimistic', but there are also instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'make their condition more worse' (a double comparative) and 'positivity foster them'. These errors do not impede communication, but they indicate a need for more precise control over collocations and word forms to move beyond the 6.0 band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'All the people must have to take', 'most of the rappers are came from', and 'faith on their selves'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, although they do not prevent understanding. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement, correct verb tense usage, and avoiding redundant structures like 'more worse'.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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