Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-08
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)
Some people think that accepting the worst scenario is the good way such as unsatisfied work and money problem. Others believe that we should push ourself to improve our situation. Although people have responsibilities, I believe that we should learn new skills to improve our position.
On the one hand, accepting the difficult situation can sometimes provide stability and prevent unnecessary stress. People may have responsibilities or limited alternatives because they have to pressure of their family members, so making a risky change is not always sensible. For example, a person from a poor family background who needs regular income may continue a boring job instead of resigning without another placement available. Although I believe that people should improve themselves by learning essential skills.
On the other hand, people should work on improving their circumstances because remaining in unsatisfactory position may restrict the future prospect. Individual should learn new skills for improving themselves such as communication, teamwork and training, these skills would be useful for employees to get better placements with higher salaries. For instance, an employee is unhappy with their current salary, they could complete professional training and apply for higher-paying positions. Therefore I believe that this approach can eventually be more satisfying and successful life.
In conclusion, although individuals have responsibilities and they could not leave their current work without another sources, I totally believe that people should focus on improving their circumstances through learning essential skills, which eventually help them to achieve better work placement with higher income.
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 all parts of the prompt by discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of family responsibilities as a reason for accepting a situation, and the suggestion of skill acquisition as a means of improvement. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding 'accepting the worst scenario' could be more deeply explored with more nuanced examples. The position is consistent throughout, but the essay would benefit from more detailed supporting evidence to reach a higher band level. Overall, the task is addressed adequately.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are instances where the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the sentence 'Although I believe that people should improve themselves by learning essential skills' at the end of the second paragraph is a fragment that disrupts the logical progression. Overall, the information is arranged coherently, but the use of cohesive devices could be more sophisticated.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'professional training', 'higher-paying positions', and 'future prospect'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'the good way' instead of 'a good approach' and 'unsatisfied work' instead of 'unsatisfactory work'. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary to express ideas with greater nuance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the good way', 'the pressure of their family members'), subject-verb agreement, and sentence construction. For example, the sentence 'For instance, an employee is unhappy with their current salary, they could complete...' is a comma splice. Additionally, there are issues with pluralization and word forms, such as 'another sources'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they are persistent throughout the text, which prevents a higher score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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