Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-12

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 6.0)

It is believed that in a bad situation such as an underwhelming job or lack of money, it is best to accept it. While some people argue that one should consider trying to overcome such a scenario. This essay discusses both of these views and their background, and the reason for why I agree with one opinion over the other.

Accepting a bad situation can remove unnecessary stress and help us to focus better on other important tasks. Whenever a bad situation occurs, the brain gets overstimulated and an emotional override occurs. This can cause alot of unnecessary stress, which makes the situation even more difficult. On the other hand, accepting the situation eliminates this problem and it helps us to invest our time efficiently into other necessary tasks. For instance, accepting a job rejection will enable us to search for other job opportunities, rather than staying stressed over the job we lost.

It is considered better to try to improve bad situations as it develops a spirit of hardworking and sense of self-satisfaction. Trying hard to work through a bad situation and fighting against it develops a strong spirit of hardworking which becomes very useful in life. If the person experiences the achievement of his goal after multiple failures, his hardworking spirit becomes stronger. In the same manner, it brings a sense of self-satisfaction and confidence, which are major personality traits. For example, when a person going through a difficult financial period decides to invest his time efficiently and avoid distractions, he will get through the difficult situation and even develop important mental and spiritual traits along the way. I personally agree with this view over the first one as I believe it's important to stick to your goals and to fight through the difficult situations in life, especially as it offers several benefits

To conclude the above discussion, these are two opposing views both having a fair argument and a set of reasoning behind them. Though I personally agree with the second view as I believe it's benefits outweigh that of the first.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on how to handle difficult situations—acceptance versus active improvement—and clearly states a personal position in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are extended and supported, such as providing examples like job rejection or financial difficulty. However, some arguments exhibit a tendency to over-generalise or remain slightly under-developed, particularly in the explanation of psychological mechanisms like brain overstimulation. Overall, the response meets the requirements of a Band 6.5 to 7.0 standard for task response, and given positive marking principles, it fully satisfies Band 7 descriptors for addressing all parts of the task with a clear, sustained position throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: introduction, the first view of acceptance, the second view of improvement with the author's opinion, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'On the other hand', 'For instance', and 'In the same manner'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes a bit mechanical, and the introductory sentence contains a dangling dependent clause ('While some people argue that one should consider trying to overcome such a scenario'), which slightly disrupts the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately, aligning well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile, fitting best into Band 7 for clear organisation and logical progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and collocations such as 'overstimulated', 'emotional override', 'job rejection', and 'self-satisfaction'. There are occasional lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, such as 'spirit of hardworking' instead of 'hardworking spirit' or 'work ethic'. Spelling and word-choice errors do not impede communication, and the vocabulary choice is flexible enough to convey precise meanings in several instances. This performance aligns comfortably with the Band 6.5 category, rounded to a 6.0 due to recurring minor collocation and word-formation slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a decent range of structures including conditional sentences ('If the person experiences...') and relative clauses. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, notably 'alot' (spelled as one word), 'the reason for why', and 'spirit of hardworking'. Additionally, punctuation and phrasing in sentences like 'Though I personally agree with the second view as I believe it's benefits outweigh that of the first' contain minor mistakes ('it's' instead of 'its'). While there are frequent error-free sentences, control over complex grammar is inconsistent. This performance sits firmly at Band 6.0.

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