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 these views and give your own opinion.
Same question Compare all 2 answers See different approaches and band scores for this IELTS task.Sample Response
Whether we should put a great deal of effort into changing our fate and improving our condition, or accept bad things and situations as they are is a topic of intense debate with both sides attracting supporters and critics. This essay aims to discuss both perspectives. In my opinion, we should always try to overcome an undesirable situation by putting in our best effort.
Those who favour bearing a bad situation argue that our life would be much easier if we learn to let go and be happy with whatever we have. They also say that we can not control every aspect of our life, and if we keep trying hard to change every inferior aspect of our life, we will be so occupied in the process that hardly will we get any time to enjoy life. For instance, if we want to get to the top of our career and reap the financial benefits that come with it in this competitive job market, we will have to work so hard and for such a length that it will hardly give us personal time to enjoy our life. Similarly, some situations, like birth defects, are not amendable and trying to correct them would only give us misery instead of happiness.
On the contrary, supporters of improving our situation by trying hard say that our life is a constant battle and only dedicated and hard-working individuals win the race. They keep arguing that people who try to change bad situations ultimately win the adversity of life, and become enlightened in the process. And happiness comes from this constant battle and refinement. According to them, life is a constant journey and without trying hard, we can not set a goal in life and become miserable. If we look at the lives of great scientists, artists and successful entrepreneurs, we will notice a common trait among all of them, and it is their constant effort to achieve excellence.
In conclusion, I believe that we get true motivation from our constant effort to do better in life, and that is why we should never give in and try hard to change our bad situations to turn them in our favour. This way, life would be more meaningful and enjoyable for us.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural wording Original: bearing Suggested revision: enduring Why it matters: "Enduring" is a more natural verb for continuing to live with adverse circumstances.
- 2. Use standard spelling Original: we can not control Suggested revision: we cannot control Why it matters: "Cannot" is normally written as one word.
- 3. Choose accurate adjective Original: inferior Suggested revision: undesirable Why it matters: "Inferior" usually expresses comparative quality rather than an unwanted circumstance.
- 4. Restore word order Original: hardly will we get any time Suggested revision: we will hardly get any time Why it matters: The result clause requires normal subject-verb order because no fronted negative triggers inversion.
- 5. Fix time expression Original: for such a length Suggested revision: for so long Why it matters: This is the natural expression for an extended duration.
- 6. Clarify the reference Original: it will hardly give us personal time Suggested revision: this will leave us little personal time Why it matters: "This" clearly refers to the demanding work pattern described in the clause.
- 7. Correct word meaning Original: amendable Suggested revision: changeable Why it matters: "Amendable" normally refers to something that can be formally revised, not a physical condition.
- 8. Improve the collocation Original: give Suggested revision: cause Why it matters: "Cause misery" is the natural verb-noun combination.
- 9. Correct the collocation Original: win the adversity of life Suggested revision: overcome life's adversities Why it matters: People overcome adversity rather than win it.
- 10. Remove unnecessary comma Original: , and become enlightened Suggested revision: and become enlightened Why it matters: The two verbs share the same subject, so no comma is needed before "and".
- 11. Use natural phrasing Original: to turn them in our favour Suggested revision: to turn them to our advantage Why it matters: "Turn something to our advantage" is the established expression.
- 12. Clarify the two sides Original: with both sides attracting supporters and critics Suggested revision: with supporters and critics on both sides Why it matters: The revision makes the relationship between the two positions and their followers clearer.
Suggested Rewrites
- bearing enduring
- we can not control we cannot control
- inferior undesirable
- hardly will we get any time we will hardly get any time
- for such a length for so long
- it will hardly give us personal time this will leave us little personal time
Why this response received Band 7.5
The essay discusses both perspectives directly, sustains a clear personal view, and develops each side with relevant reasoning and examples. The main limitation is that some claims are overstated or expressed through awkward collocations, which slightly weakens precision; the highest-priority improvement is to make each causal argument more nuanced and choose more natural wording.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Response
Both views are fully addressed, the opinion is clear throughout, and the main ideas are well supported.
Refine broad claims about struggle, success, and happiness so the reasoning is more qualified and analytically precise.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are sequenced clearly in well-focused paragraphs, with cohesive devices supporting an easy progression.
Reduce repeated framing around "life" and vary internal links to make the argument feel less formulaic.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a wide vocabulary, though several collocations are noticeably unnatural or imprecise.
Use more idiomatic alternatives for phrases such as "bearing a bad situation," "inferior aspect," and "win the adversity."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are used frequently and mostly accurately, with errors rarely affecting clarity.
Improve control of conditional tense agreement, inversion, and sentence coordination in the longer sentences.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
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 these views and give your own opinion.
Your response
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