Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-07

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 6.5)

Some people are the proponents of acceptance of misfortune such as poverty or lack of satisfactory job in their lives while other argue that any situation can be improved with hardwork and resilience. In my opinion, elevating one’s circumstances with dedication and efforts is a much wiser approach than not trying at all.

Many people in the world believe fortune has a significant role in one’s life. They blame luck for their poor job experience or financial struggles. Moreover, they embrace the idea of acceptance as it helps them to cope with miserable situations and gives them sense of contentment. However, in reality such people lack courage to accept their responsibilty to change their life circumstances. For example, a famous Mughal ruler, Bahadur Shah Zafar actually let Britishers take over his kingdom and did nothing to protect the integrity of his nation because he believed that he was destined to be over thrown by British rule. Much like this ruler many people in their lives embrace loses in name of destiny but the actual culprit is their lack of motivation.

Contrary to this believe many people actually take responsibility of their actions and promote the ideology of, ‘Try, Try again’. Such people do not reside their metric of success in the hands of unseen fortune but they take matters in their own hands and show resilience in the face of adversity. Such approach is much likely to guarantee success as people learn from their short commings and try to improve themselves. For instance, there is this popular story of the king Taimur who lost multiple battles against his enemy but he kept fighting and won after being influenced by an ant that did not give up and kept climbing the wall.

In conclusion, rigorous efforts can open many new opportunities for anyone who is determined to change his situation and lack of motivation will only lead to a stagnant life with no growth and such people will have to suffer the curse of discontentment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal position. The ideas are relevant and supported by historical examples, such as Bahadur Shah Zafar and King Taimur, which adds depth to the argument. However, the development of the 'acceptance' viewpoint is slightly weaker than the 'improvement' viewpoint, as the former is framed primarily as a lack of courage rather than a philosophical choice. To reach a higher band, ensure both sides are explored with equal nuance and depth. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main argument, maintaining a consistent position throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', 'Contrary to this', and 'For instance' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is clear, and the progression of ideas is logical, moving from the definition of the two views to the evaluation of each, leading to a final synthesis.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. You demonstrate the ability to use topic-specific language such as 'proponents', 'resilience', 'adversity', and 'stagnant'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'reside their metric of success' (which is non-standard) and 'short commings' (spelling error). While you attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary, some collocations are slightly unnatural. Increasing the range of precise, academic collocations would help elevate the score further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over complex sentences, though some minor errors persist, such as 'Britishers' (which is non-standard; 'the British' is preferred) and 'Contrary to this believe' (should be 'belief'). Punctuation is generally accurate, though there are occasional slips in article usage and pluralization. The majority of sentences are error-free, and the grammatical errors present do not impede communication. To improve, focus on refining subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent use of articles.

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