Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-13

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 believe that it is great to accept a bad situation, such as an dissapointing job or shortage of money, while others argue that it is more beneficial to try and improve such situations. This essay will discuss the both views about accepting situations or people need to refine such situations. In my opinion, people should optimize such situations rather than accepting the unsatisfactory jobs or lack of money.

Accepting bad situations is not the way to improve your future and career. Because, if people want to shine in life they need to face these types of problem and overcome the situations. For example, if people are not happy doing their jobs, they have the rights search better options in jobs, by this they can earn money also they will be satisfied with their jobs, which help them refresh their mind and boost self- confidence. Another point is, whenever people faces shortage of money they can improved their situations and earn more money by doing hard-working. Because hard work alaways paid off, if you work hard you will definately earn money and lead a peaceful life in the future.

However, some people just accept the situations and live life with many problems, which effects their mental health as well as physical health. It hampers their education, their life style. Because they compromise their need and don,t want to get better in life.

In my opinion, being industrious always get success in life. People need to face their problems and try to escape the situations. You can enjoy your life and become successful in the future by increasing your problems. Because success help people to reach their desires and goals.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—accepting bad situations versus trying to improve them—and provides a clear personal opinion. The writer establishes a clear stance in the introduction and reiterates it in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the arguments regarding financial hardship and job dissatisfaction are introduced, but the supporting points rely on basic assertions rather than fully extended analysis. Phrases like 'hard work alaways paid off' are stated without deep elaboration. While the main aspects of the prompt are covered, the overall development places this response at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to body paragraphs discussing both views, and finishing with a conclusion. Logical progression is attempted using cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'Another point is'. Nevertheless, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the transitional phrase 'Because, if people want to shine...' misuses punctuation and links sentences awkwardly. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas, but the links between sentences within paragraphs can be repetitive, contributing to a Band 6.0 performance for this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and phrasing such as 'optimize such situations', 'unsatisfactory jobs', and 'mental health as well as physical health'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors that detract from precision, such as 'dissapointing' (disappointing), 'alaways' (always), and the misuse of 'increasing your problems' instead of addressing or solving problems. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, placing the lexical resource at a Band 6.0 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure. However, there is a high frequency of grammatical errors and punctuation issues. Examples include fragment sentences starting with 'Because,' (e.g., 'Because, if people want to shine...') and subject-verb agreement or tense errors such as 'whenever people faces' and 'always get success'. Punctuation is also faulty in places, such as 'don,t'. While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, the sheer frequency of grammatical slips prevents the response from achieving a higher band, aligning well with the Band 5.5 descriptors.

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

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