Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-03

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)

In life, people often face difficult circumstances like a job they dislike, but some individuals accept these problems. While other argue that people try to change the difficult situation. In this essay, we dicuss both views before concluding that making efforts to change bad situstion is benificial.

First of all, accepting a bad situation can bring peace. Consequently, fighting againsh reality can cause stress and other diseases. For example, if a person has less paying job in finicial crisis that it face many diifficulties and these bad situations make this person strong and mature. In many cultures, satisfaction is considered a virtue, ana people are taught grateful. From this, accepting a bad condition does not mean weakness.

On the other hand, who argue that progress comes from action, not acceptance. Human history is built on the poor situations and who try to chnge these hardships with hardwork. For example, an employee in an unsatisfactory job can learn new skills, experience, better position, or start a business. Consequently, a person who face shortage of money, he was trying to reduce the problem. He checks wheather he spends more his money and try to locate new sources from the earn money. While, trying to face a difficulty improves the sense and become a person strong.

To conclude that, I have discussed both viewpoints and in my opinion, although acceptance can be useful in our situations that are truly beyond our control, and it is better to improve the unfavourable circumstances.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both views and providing an opinion, which places it in the middle tier of performance. However, there is a word count penalty because the essay falls slightly short of the minimum two hundred and fifty words required by the instructions. The ideas are presented but remain somewhat limited and under-developed. For instance, the discussion on why people accept bad situations mentions peace and maturity, but lacks full extension and deep explanation. Similarly, the points supporting the view that one should improve circumstances are brief and repetitive. The writer's position is discernible in the introduction and conclusion, but the lack of thorough development prevents a higher evaluation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays some overall organization with recognizable paragraph breaks, including an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, there is a lack of clear overall progression, and the logical flow is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions. Cohesive devices are sometimes inaccurate or mechanical, such as the frequent misuse of 'Consequently' to introduce points that are not direct logical consequences. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, making it difficult to follow the connection between ideas. For example, sentences like 'While other argue that people try to change the difficult situation' lack appropriate linking to the preceding context, resulting in a somewhat disjointed reading experience.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate basic ideas about accepting or changing difficult situations. There are noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word formation throughout the text, such as 'less paying job' instead of 'lower-paying job', 'finicial' instead of 'financial', 'ana' instead of 'and', and 'chonge' for 'change'. Additionally, phrases like 'fighting againsh reality' and 'improves the sense' sound unnatural. These lexical slips and spelling mistakes cause some difficulty for the reader and restrict the score to a basic level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer employs a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic complex forms, with attempts at more intricate structures frequently resulting in faulty construction. There are frequent grammatical errors involving verb tenses, articles, subject-verb agreement, and clause structure. Examples include 'while other argue that people try', 'a person who face shortage of money, he was trying', and the incomplete fragment 'To conclude that, I have discussed both viewpoints'. Punctuation errors are also present, such as unnecessary commas separating subjects from verbs. These frequent errors cause strain and difficulty for the reader.

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