Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Many argue that it is better to compromise in bad circumstances, like in unsatisfactory job and money shortage, while others belive that it is best to make an effort and better such situations. In my opinion, I believe that it is better to accept a bad situation, but we can also try to improve it by finding different and better opportunities.

On the one hand, accepting an unsatisfactory job opportunity, which paid you low salary, is not by your choise. For instance, when you have to support your family and fulfill your everyday needs, then you tolerate these kinds of jobs. The main reason is that u have no choise left except to take that opportunity. Additionally, you can face these challenging situations, such as money shortage, by lowering your own needs.

On the other hand, others believe that we can try to improve it. I believe that

you can overcome these challenging situations by searching and exploring different opportunities, while continuing unsatisfactory jobs. If you find better

jobs that paid u enough money to fulfill your needs, then you can skip the previous jobs. Furthermore, you can find better opportunities when you have top tier education. You can also try to give national tests, like Ppsc and Fpsc to find government and beneificial jobs.

In conclusion, while agreeing on the bad circumstances is good, such as shortage of money and unsatisfactory job, equal chance should be given to improve such situations. However, you have to support your family. If better opportunity is availed, then it is better to left that low paying salary job.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—accepting a bad situation versus trying to improve it—and provides the student's own opinion throughout the essay. Ideas are generally relevant, such as discussing job dissatisfaction, financial constraints, and ways to improve circumstances through better education or exams. However, the position becomes slightly contradictory or confusing in the conclusion and introduction, where the student states they believe it is better to accept a bad situation while simultaneously stating that one should improve it. Furthermore, some arguments are a bit under-developed and repetitive, such as the repeated mention of supporting family and money shortages. This places the response comfortably in Band 6, as all parts of the task are addressed, but development and positioning lack full clarity and consistency.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is arranged coherently with a clear overall structure, including an introduction, body paragraphs addressing each side of the argument, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in repetitive transitional phrases like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and pronouns like 'it' or 'that' are sometimes vague in their antecedents (e.g., 'agreeing on the bad circumstances is good'). Additionally, cohesive devices are somewhat basic and overused. This corresponds to the Band 6 descriptor, where the overall arrangement is coherent, but referencing and cohesion present noticeable flaws.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms like 'circumstances', 'opportunity', 'overcome', and 'financial constraints' (implied). There are several noticeable word-choice, lexical, and spelling errors, such as 'belive' instead of believe, 'choise' instead of choice, 'paid you low salary' instead of paying a low salary, and 'left' instead of leave in the conclusion. The use of informal abbreviations like 'u' further detracts from lexical appropriateness. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas clearly, the persistent errors and lack of sophisticated phrasing prevent the score from reaching a higher band. This represents a solid Band 5.5 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional sentences ('If you find better jobs... then you can skip the previous jobs'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors regarding tense consistency, prepositions, and agreement. Examples include 'which paid you low salary', 'money shortage' (missing article), 'agreeing on the bad circumstances', and 'better to left that low paying salary job'. Despite these errors, meaning is generally not impeded, and the reader can easily follow the argument. The grammar features a limited range of complex structures with persistent mistakes, making a Band 5.5 descriptor an accurate reflection of the student's current grammatical control.

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