Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-24
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)
Opinions are divided on whether it is best to accept a substandard situation, such as financial hardship or job dissatisfaction, or if one should actively try to improve these circumstances. This essay will examine both perspectives before concluding that individuals must strive to elevate their life situations by finding a fulfilling career and developing the habit of saving money
On the one hand, some people argue that it would be better to just accept the financial difficulty and dissatisfaction with your job. The rationale behind this is that these people have tried and failed many times in their life. To put this in perspective, when life keeps knocking them down they finally surrender and stop putting efforts to improve their circumstances but they are still thinking of ways on how to succeed and excel in their life. Thus, it is understandable why some people hold this belief.
On the other hand, I side with those who believe that they must strive to excel in life and improve their circumstances. This perspective is stronger because life will challenge you at every step and you must endure and fight back giving your best to reach at the pinnacle of success. A clear illustration of this is the CEO of Amazon, who belonged to a poor family and had to endure so many hardships to become the richest guy of the nation, Ultimately, if you just keep your head down and keep pushing forward no matter what the situation is, you will excel in every situation.
In conclusion, while there are merits to the idea of accepting your life bad circumstances, I am of the opinion that individuals must work hard to excel and improve their life. The benefits of striving hard to succeed far outweigh the alternatives.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on whether to accept or improve unsatisfactory situations and clearly stating the author's own opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant, presenting the argument for acceptance based on past fatigue and the argument for striving forward based on personal ambition and historical examples like the Amazon CEO. However, the reasoning in the second paragraph contains slight contradictions and minor under-development, stating that those who accept defeat are 'still thinking of ways on how to succeed', which slightly blurs the distinctness of the first perspective. Nevertheless, the position is clear throughout, and the main tenets of the task are adequately met, corresponding well to a Band 7 performance under the task response descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The essay demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, beginning with a well-formulated introduction, followed by body paragraphs introduced by standard cohesive markers such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand', and finished with a clear conclusion. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader through the arguments, though referencing is occasionally slightly loose, such as in the transition between sentences in the second paragraph. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, maintaining logical progression from start to finish. This earns a solid Band 7 for coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student exhibits a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow flexibility and precision, utilizing phrases such as 'substandard situation', 'financial hardship', 'job dissatisfaction', and 'furious challenges'. There are also appropriate attempts at less common lexical items like 'pinnacle of success' and 'surrender'. While the range is generally adequate for the task, there are minor awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'stop putting efforts' instead of 'stop putting effort' or 'cease efforts', and 'life bad circumstances' in the final paragraph instead of 'bad life circumstances'. These occasional lexical inaccuracies and minor slips place the response firmly at a Band 6.5, rounded to 6.0 due to recurring minor slip patterns.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional structures. Examples such as 'This essay will examine both perspectives before concluding that...' and 'while there are merits to the idea of accepting your life bad circumstances...' show an ability to handle complex structures. However, there are notable grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, such as 'stop putting efforts to improve', 'reaching at the pinnacle', and missing punctuation or minor article slips ('the richest guy of the nation', 'life bad circumstances'). These errors rarely impede communication, but they persist frequently enough to prevent the writing from reaching the Band 7 threshold, making Band 6 an accurate reflection of the grammatical control demonstrated.
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