Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-06

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 6.5)

An individual's life is shaped by the ongoing situations they face throughout their life. Some people argue that accepting unfavourable situations, such as an unsatisfactory life and compromising our souls for a particular situation, is better for our livelihood, while others suggest that taking action to reduce the difficulties or improve the situations is crucial for a better life.

On one hand, Most believe that compromising their gut feeling or talent at work is the only way they can hold their job and fulfil their day-to-day financial needs because people have responsibilities and needs, such as housing, medical care, education and groceries, that rely solely on their monthly salary. To fulfil their responsibilities, they prefer to accept the situation and compromise themselves.

On the other hand, others believe that facing unfavourable situations and taking action may create better opportunities to improve their circumstances. Satisfaction and mindfulness are more important than earning job security. For example, an unsatisfactory job eventually causes stress and reduces our self-motivation and resilience. This weakens individual personal development and leads to removal from the job market. Satisfaction and mindfulness are more important than earning job security. I personally believe that keeping our job and managing the current situation is important, but it should not impact our personal growth or professional development. Therefore, I suggest trying better opportunities to improve the situation while managing the current situation that supports our daily life.

In conclusion, some people believe accepting a bad situation is better, while others argue that trying to overcome unfavourable situations is better than compromising ourselves. I strongly believe that everyone has responsibilities, so we need to consider our life-support systems. However, taking initiative to improve unfavourable situations is crucial.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on whether to accept or try to improve difficult situations, while also presenting a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. For instance, the first body paragraph briefly touches upon financial needs and responsibilities like housing and medical care, but this point could have been extended further with a more robust example to fully explore why people choose to stay in unsatisfactory circumstances. The conclusion effectively summarises the core arguments. To reach a higher level, all main ideas would need to be thoroughly extended with deeper elaboration rather than slightly under-developed supporting points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with clear logical progression throughout the text. Paragraphing is utilised effectively to divide the introduction, the two differing viewpoints, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the arguments, such as 'On one hand,' and 'On the other hand,' although referencing and linking can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transitional phrases used to introduce opposing ideas are somewhat formulaic. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to demonstrate more sophisticated and flexible management of cohesion, ensuring that transitions flow seamlessly without relying heavily on standard signposting formulas.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'unfavourable situations,' 'resilience,' and 'professional development.' Communication is clear throughout, and word choices generally fit the context well, such as discussing 'financial needs' and 'personal growth.' Nevertheless, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice or phrasing, such as 'compromising our souls' or 'earning job security,' which are slightly unnatural collocations. Additionally, repeating phrases like 'unsatisfactory job' and 'improve the situation' limits lexical variety. To move up to the next band, a wider range of sophisticated and flexible vocabulary with precise control over collocation is required.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, successfully incorporating relative clauses and conditional-like structures, such as 'Some people argue that accepting unfavourable situations... is better... while others suggest that taking action... is crucial.' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as unnecessary capitalization ('Most believe'), minor article slips, and occasional slight clumsiness in prepositions within grammatical patterns. However, these errors rarely impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout. To attain a higher band, the response would need to feature a higher frequency of error-free sentences incorporating a wider variety of sophisticated, complex grammatical structures with absolute control.

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

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