Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-17
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)
It is often argued that it is best to agree with a poor situation, such as an awful job or shortage of money, while others believe that the best is to improve the such circumstances. Although both perspectives have their merits, I personally believe we should try our best to upgrade. This essay will discuss both views before explaining my position.
On the one hand, there are several reasons why some people agree with a bad situations. One of the primary reason is that people are afraid of taking risks. In other words, they are just too lazy that they did not wanted to leave their comfort zones. For example, a person is struggling from fininacial crisis instead of taking risk to improve their condition they lend money from others from a neighbour, relatives or from a bank. Another reason is that, people are not passionate about improving their lifestyle.They are leading a aimless and purposeless lives.
On the other hand, others argue that we should try to improve bad circumstances. One major reason for this is that sometimes changes are good. Because taking action lead to positive changes and personal growth.They can develope new skills or make better decisions. For instance, a student from a poor background can learn new skills and work hard to improve their future lifestyles. Consequently, this increases their chances for new oppurtunities adn raise their confidence.
In conclusion, although accepting bad situation cannot bring prominent changes in their lifestyles, I believe trying best to improve conditions is more convincing, because this can lead to better future and personal growth.
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 task by discussing both views on accepting or improving a bad situation and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are extended and supported, such as when the student explains why some people fail to take risks or how self-improvement leads to personal growth. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise and some supporting points lack depth, placing the response firmly in Band 6. For example, claiming people are 'leading a aimless and purposeless lives' is a broad assertion that is not fully elaborated.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay has a clear overall arrangement with a standard four-paragraph structure. Cohesive devices are used to signal the progression of ideas, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing is sometimes unclear, and cohesion can feel mechanical or faulty at times. For instance, the transition from discussing a financial crisis to borrowing money is abrupt, and sentences like 'Because taking action lead to positive changes and personal growth' are fragment-like and disrupt the flow, which is characteristic of Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'financial crisis', 'comfort zones', and 'personal growth'. However, there are notable word-choice errors and spelling mistakes throughout the text, such as 'agree with a poor situation' instead of 'accept', 'fininacial' instead of 'financial', 'did not wanted' instead of 'did not want', and 'oppurtunities adn'. These lexical inaccuracies and mechanical spelling errors prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing subordinate clauses like 'Although both perspectives have their merits...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb tense and agreement, such as 'did not wanted to leave', 'people is struggling', and fragment sentences like 'Because taking action lead to positive changes'. Punctuation errors, such as missing commas after introductory phrases and run-on sentences, are also noticeable. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the grammar score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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