Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-09

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)

In modern era, accepting a situation either good or bad depend on people needs. Some people think that take bad situation, such as dissatisfied jobs or lack of money. Others consider that it is better to try and improve such circumstances. I believe that, accepting bad situation is a practical way to reduced stress and maintain mental health. when circumstances outside of your control. I will discuss both view points in upcoming paragraphs.

On the one hand , those who accepting bad situation they believe that it can help to reduced stress and and anxiety levels. Acceptance of bad circumstances can help the individuals focus on things they can do and allow them to live in present moment. For instance, those people who doing unsatisfied jobs, they live stress free live and focus on being happy whatever they had in their life. If he feel bad because of lower pay scale then they looking for other job without any skills it makes him more depressed.

On the other hand side, those who taking action to change their conditions believe that acceptance can lead to satisfaction and lack of motivation. By accepting bad situation individuals can miss out the opportunities to improve their situation and achieve their goals. For example, a person with shortage of money they take more work to improve their financial scale instead of lying on one work or thinking about less money. It can help them to improve their person growth and experience.

In conclusion, some argue that accepting bad situation is acceptable,. others think that take action on improvement of situation is best. In my view point taking action on bad situation is important because is improve the financial status of people and they learn more about the skills.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides an opinion, meeting the basic requirements of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. The argument for acceptance is somewhat contradictory, as it suggests that accepting a bad job leads to happiness, which is a weak premise. The second body paragraph is more logical but lacks depth. The conclusion contradicts the introduction, where you initially stated that acceptance is practical, but then argued in the conclusion that taking action is best. This lack of a clear, consistent position throughout the essay limits the score. To improve, ensure your arguments are logically sound and that your opinion remains consistent from the introduction to the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive feature. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'On the other hand side' is non-standard, and the transition between sentences is sometimes abrupt. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'those who taking action... believe that acceptance can lead to... lack of motivation', which confuses the reader regarding which group is being discussed. While there is a logical progression, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the occasional misuse of cohesive devices prevent a higher score. Focus on using a wider variety of linking phrases correctly to improve the flow between ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'take bad situation' instead of 'accept a bad situation' and 'financial scale' instead of 'financial situation'. You also rely on repetitive phrasing, such as 'bad situation' and 'improve'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise vocabulary and synonyms to avoid repetition. Additionally, work on collocations—words that naturally go together—to make your writing sound more natural and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('accepting a situation... depend on'), missing articles, and incorrect verb forms ('those who taking action', 'those people who doing'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors is high. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically ensuring that subjects and verbs agree and that verb tenses are used consistently throughout your writing.

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

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