Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-26

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 individuals relies on taking unlucky things as they are rather than changing them for good opportunities. Well, I'm of the opinion that one should remain in an unwanted state till they have the chance to advance for the better future.

Humans do get stuck up in an undesirable quest where the opportunity cost is far greater than the actual benefit, indicating that the expense they are bearing is huge than the profit which they are getting. Staying in such state will not only harm in their social life but also would take a toll on their mental health too. For instance, many young nurses are paying a major chunk of their salary into their therapy.

A fish can go with the flow but would have to take same extra steps to reach the desirable place. One should always try to improve their situations, specially where they are unhappy in life. Trying might seem hard to start but once a wheel starts, it never stops, unless someone stops it. One of the life-lesson worthy example of this phenomenon is of the co-founder of KFC, Kentucky who went door-to-door to sell his products after quitting his job to start his own business. He didn't want to work a 9 to 5 job and broke these shackles by working tirelessly for many years to build an empire of his own.

To conclude, an unwanted situation should only be made acceptance if they are no other choices or options but once these are available one should work endlessly to better their living standards in any way.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both views—accepting a bad situation versus trying to improve it—and states a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and relies on sweeping generalizations or simplistic explanations. For instance, the statement 'many young nurses are paying a major chunk of their salary into their therapy' is a specific claim but lacks broader context or full elaboration. Furthermore, the example of the co-founder of KFC is relevant, but the overall argumentation feels slightly disjointed and informal in tone, which prevents it from reaching a higher band. Nevertheless, all parts of the task are covered with a discernible position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is attempted, though some paragraphs mix multiple ideas, such as the second paragraph combining opportunity costs with mental health and a specific example about nurses. Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly phrased, such as 'Well, I'm of the opinion' or 'once a wheel starts, it never stops'. Referencing is generally clear, but logical progression between sentences occasionally falters, resulting in a somewhat abrupt flow of ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to incorporate less common items and idioms, such as 'opportunity cost', 'shackles', and 'build an empire'. However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and morphology. For example, 'Many individuals relies' contains a subject-verb agreement error, and phrases like 'taking unlucky things as they are' and 'made acceptance' are unnatural and imprecise. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is inconsistent, restricting the score to the mid-range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional and relative clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent throughout the text. There are several noticeable errors, such as 'Many individuals relies' (subject-verb agreement), 'Staying in such state' (missing article), 'expense they are bearing is huge than the profit' (comparative structure error), and 'they are no other choices' (pronoun/existence error). While these errors do not completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the essay from achieving a higher band score.

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

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