Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-04

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 5.0)

The argument is that some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation. Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations.

Before telling about my opinion, let's look at the both views and discuss about both arguments.

Accepting bad situations such as shortage on money or unsatisfactory job. Even though people say they should be grateful that they are alive and has a job, some bad situations makes people dont want to live. I understand that some people are not capable of trying even harder to fix their bad situations and it is the highest they can do.

The other argument is that it is better to try and improve terrible situations. I agree with this one because even though some people are not capable to try harder, there is always an another choice, for example, they can quit that job and find easier and better jobs. And the other people that are available to try harder or has no disabilities, do not even talk to

me. They have the ability to try harder, work different jobs and there many other ways to improve and escape that horrible situations.

In conclusion, it is okay for everyone to have hard times and situations but, they should try harder to improve that situation and reach success. If you compare people that reached success easily and the ones that got successful from hard situations, the people that became successful from hard situations have more manners, personality, respect and knowledge.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You discuss both views and state a clear preference for trying to improve difficult circumstances: “I agree with this one.” You also offer examples, such as changing jobs, and explain that some people may have limited capacity to make changes. However, the discussion is brief and the ideas are not developed enough to fully address the task; the claim that successful people from difficult backgrounds have “more manners, personality, respect and knowledge” is broad and unsupported. The response contains 221 words, so it is 29 words below the required minimum; 32 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop each view with a specific explanation or example, and support your concluding comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. This helps the reader identify your position and follow the broad direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and some links are unclear or mechanical. For example, “Before telling about my opinion” delays the position, while “And the other people…” begins a new point without a clear connection to the previous sentence. The conclusion introduces a comparison that has not been prepared in the body. Use topic sentences to guide each paragraph, connect examples directly to the point they support, and avoid abrupt transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate the main topic, including “bad situations,” “improve,” “ability,” and “success.” There are also attempts at more expressive wording, such as “escape” difficult circumstances. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or unnatural, which makes parts of the argument less precise. Examples include “shortage on money,” “terrible situations,” and “horrible situations”; repeating similar general terms does not distinguish between financial hardship and an unsatisfactory job. Some expressions, such as “do not even talk to me,” are too conversational for an academic essay. Choose more precise terms and use formal, natural collocations to describe the problems and possible responses.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a concession beginning “Even though” and a conditional structure with “If you compare.” These attempts show some range, and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some passages difficult to read. For example, “people … has a job” has subject–verb disagreement, while “some bad situations makes” also has incorrect agreement. In “they can quit that job and find easier and better jobs,” the comparison is not formed accurately. Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention, particularly in the long sentence beginning “And the other people.” Practise agreement and build shorter, controlled sentences before adding clauses.

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

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