Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-29

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)

Life is very complicated and unpredictable; it is full of ups and downs. There could be good days accompaining with bad days altogether. However, there are two pool of thoughts where one pool believes that compromising with the situation is the best thing done by one while other has contradictory thoughts on them. Moreover, both the views will be discussed further.

To commence with, undoubtedly, acceptance is the key as all the humans are incapable in front of universe when it comes to certain situations such as shortage of money. Sometimes, talent also fade away when finacial crisis crops up and one is not able to acheive or purse their dreams in due to money crisis faced by family. Many a times, people accept their fate and keep grinding in order to survive.

While, the other pool believes that one should try hard enough to change their situation, to make sure that they give their best and face the hurdles of life with great determination along with consisent efforts. Consistency plays crucial role where one can overcome any probelms that life throws at them. Being resiliant against certain circumstances will definetely provide desired results.

To recapticulate, my opinion suggests that there are certain conditions which are out of human control though we should always try to improvise our condition as much as possible and should never a bad day over rule us or let us down under any circumstances with positive mindset one can move mountains. this is how we should deal with the life po

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that of accepting a bad situation and that of trying to improve it—while also providing a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. For example, the writer outlines the view that acceptance is sometimes necessary due to financial crises and fate, and contrasts this with the opposing view emphasizing resilience and consistency. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or expressed with a degree of generalization, such as the claim that 'all the humans are incapable in front of universe.' Overall, the main prompt requirements are adequately fulfilled, placing this response at Band 6.0 according to the criteria.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs addressing each viewpoint, and a concluding section. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases like 'To commence with' and 'While, the other pool believes' are awkwardly phrased, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun use in 'contradictory thoughts on them.' Furthermore, the concluding sentence is abruptly cut off ('this is how we should deal with the life po'), which disrupts the logical flow and progression. Consequently, these issues reflect a Band 5.5 performance.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The writer displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'compromised,' 'resilient,' and 'determination.' However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'accompaining' (accompanying), 'pool of thoughts' (pools of thought/schools of thought), 'fade away' instead of fades, 'finacial' (financial), 'acheive' (achieve), 'purse' instead of pursue, 'consisent' (consistent), 'probelms' (problems), 'resiliant' (resilient), 'recapticulate' (recapitulate), and 'improvise' instead of improve. While these errors are frequent, they do not completely impede communication, aligning the response with Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambition with structures like 'Life is very complicated and unpredictable; it is full of ups and downs.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors in tense consistency, article use, and prepositions, such as 'talent also fade away when finacial crisis crops up' and 'in due to money crisis faced by family.' Punctuation is also problematic, notably the run-on and incomplete phrasing towards the end of the conclusion ('with positive mindset one can move mountains. this is how we should deal with the life po'). These frequent errors can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing this criterion at Band 5.0.

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

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