Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-05

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)

Few individuals are of the view that adapting worst condition is better than nothing like unpleasant job or lack of money. Others made arguments that it is best to try and find solutions and enhance such situations. I believe that it is meaningful that people should try and find the solutions to overcome difficulties because remaining in these worst situations effects their lives significantly..

On one hand, accepting a low income job will be a practical choice. When people face problems they are beyond their controls that what to do they just accept a job with the low salary taht will give him a mental satisfaction. For instance, if their is an unemployed who is having a lot of responsibilities of his family he will just accept the job that will pay him only to overcome the problems, he will definitely join that job. Therefore, acceptance can be useful when changing the circumstances feels difficult.

On the other hand, people also try to overcome the difficulties and wants to improve the conditions as it will give them both the satisfaction and a mental relief. People don't remain on the one thing they just try and find out the new ways to spend life peacefully. As, if there is a person who is unemployed whereas having job opportunities with low salaries he will try to find the best job and will try to look for additional sources of income. Although these efforts take time, but these will lead to significant opportunities.

To put it into a nutshell, accepting a difficult situation can be beneficial when circumstances cannot be changed immediately, as it can provide stability and reduce stress. However, I believe that trying to improve an unsatisfactory situation is a better long-term approach because it gives people the opportunity to achieve better living and working conditions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on how to handle difficult situations and providing a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. However, some ideas are under-developed or lack full clarity. For instance, the argument regarding the practical choice of accepting a low-income job is supported by a general example, but the reasoning remains slightly repetitive and lacks deeper extension. To reach a higher band, the response would need to fully develop every idea with more elaborated explanations and distinct supporting examples rather than circling back to the same points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different viewpoints. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. Devices such as 'On one hand' and 'On the other hand' are employed, but referencing and linking within sentences are occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'As, if there is a person who is unemployed whereas having job opportunities...' To move up, the writer needs to ensure that cohesive relationships between sentences and ideas flow more naturally without awkward transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating the main ideas. The writer attempts some less-common vocabulary, such as 'significant opportunities' and 'unsatisfactory situation'. However, there are noticeable limitations in lexical control, including word choice and word formation errors, such as 'adapting worst condition' instead of 'accepting the worst conditions', and 'effects' instead of 'affects'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of precision and natural style. Expanding the range of appropriate collocations would strengthen this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are persistent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly with articles, prepositions, and verb forms, such as 'taht will give him' and 'their is an unemployed who is having'. Complex sentences often contain minor structural inaccuracies, such as 'When people face problems they are beyond their controls that what to do they just accept...'. Nevertheless, these errors are not overwhelming and rarely impede overall communication. A greater proportion of error-free complex sentences and stricter control over punctuation would elevate the grammar score.

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

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