Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-07

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)

A majority of individuals find it hard to accept an unsatisfactory situation. On the other hand, some people believe it as a sign to actually get better and improve in that specific situation. While I personally believe that a bad situation helps you evolve and grow in your life.

If we talk about the group of people who believe that it is best just to accept that situation. The learning curve stops in their life and they find it hard growing further. Therefore, If someone is in an unsatisfactory job they shall be grateful as people don't even have jobs in these economical conditions. For example if an individual gets resignated from their job they might feel sad, however going through such an experience and then not moving forward and finding a new job makes it extremely hard to grow in their respective fields.

Moreover, in my opinion a layman should definitely work hard on themselves after experiencing such emotional and mental trauma. In Pakistan a huge amount of graduates experience such conditions as they have a responsibilty which is to look after their parents. Nevertheless, they don't get a job that easily and if they do get one the difficulty then is to sustain it which is close to impossible.

In a nutshell, People get to experience emotional trauma throughout their life. However, if they get stuck at the same position the margin of growth is gone at that time. I personally believe in the fact that improving yourself every single day is the work that you do for your future successful self that is actually waiting for you in the end line.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear personal preference for improving difficult circumstances, especially in the opening and conclusion, and you include examples about job loss and graduates in Pakistan. However, the discussion of the view that people should accept a bad situation is not fully explained: the paragraph mainly criticises acceptance and says people should be grateful, rather than exploring why someone might choose acceptance, such as stability or limited alternatives. The opposing view is therefore only partly addressed, and several claims about growth and trauma remain broad rather than being supported with clear reasoning. Develop both perspectives more evenly, then connect your examples directly to the reasons behind your opinion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, and linking expressions such as “On the other hand,” “Moreover” and “In a nutshell” help signal movement between ideas. However, the overall progression is not always clear: the first body paragraph shifts from accepting a situation to job loss and then to finding another job, without clearly separating the viewpoint from your rebuttal. The second body paragraph introduces graduates’ responsibilities but does not fully explain how this example supports the argument. Some transitions feel mechanical, and the conclusion repeats the idea of growth without bringing the two views together. Give each body paragraph one clear purpose and use explicit links between claims and examples.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “unsatisfactory situation,” “learning curve,” “emotional and mental trauma” and “responsibility.” These choices show an attempt to discuss personal and economic challenges beyond very basic language. However, several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “get better and improve in that specific situation,” “gets resignated from their job,” and “the margin of growth is gone” do not express the intended meanings naturally. There are also spelling errors such as “responsibilty” and “economical.” Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling; for example, distinguish between being dismissed, resigning, and experiencing job loss.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex forms, including a conditional example (“if an individual…”) and a contrast introduced by “however.” Meaning is generally understandable, but sentence control is uneven. The opening contains a fragment: “While I personally believe that a bad situation helps you evolve and grow in your life.” The construction “If we talk about the group…” is also incomplete as a sentence, and “the difficulty then is to sustain it which is close to impossible” needs clearer clause structure and punctuation. Capitalisation after commas is inconsistent, as in “Therefore, If” and “In a nutshell, People.” Practise complete sentence structures and review punctuation and clause boundaries while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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