Band 5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Academic Pressure Essay: Improving Depth & Clarity
Sample Answer with Feedback

📅 Published Apr 2026⏱️ 40 minutes recommended📝 255 words · Band 5
This Band 5 essay explores the issue of academic pressure and its effects on teenagers' mental health, including anxiety and burnout. While it identifies key causes and potential solutions, it requires deeper development of ideas and improved clarity. Learn how to enhance your responses with specific examples and better organization.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question

Problem/ Solution · Education · 40 min



Academic pressure is causing mental health issues among teenagers, including anxiety, depression, and burnout.This growing problem is affecting students’ well-being and long-term development.
What are the causes of this issue, and what solutions can be suggested?

Write at least 250 words.



5Band

Overall Band Score

255 words · Problem/ Solution · AI Evaluated

5
Task Response
4.5
Grammar
5
Vocabulary
5
Coherence

Score Breakdown

IELTS Writing Band Scores (1–9)

Overall Band Score
5
Task Response
5
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
4.5
Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
5
Coherence & Cohesion
5

Summary: The essay addresses the prompt by discussing causes and solutions for academic pressure affecting teenagers' mental health, meeting the minimum word count of 255 words. However, the response lacks depth in development, with ideas presented simplistically and repetitively. Cohesion is basic, vocabulary is limited and sometimes inaccurate, and grammatical errors are frequent, affecting clarity.

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Student Answer
Real submission • 255 words • Annotated
255 wordsBand 5WritingPart2
● Spelling● Grammar● Vocabulary

Academic pressure has many serious effects upon students mental health and well- being. This can cause many mental problems, such as anxiety, depression, and burnout.
There are numerous causes of academic pressure. But it also has some solutions.
There are some causes of academic pressure. Among them, high expectations from students lead it. Parents have many expectations from their children. They want their children to perform well in exams and in school. this can lead to pressure and which letter can cause anxiety and depression. secondly, teachers gives heavy workload to students. When students can not perform well teacher gives them punishment. Heavy workload makes students burn out. Lastly, the most important thing is the fear of failure. when student has a fear, that he or she might not pass the exam, this can lead to anxiety and depression.
Besides all this, there are some solutions that can be taken to lessen mental issues and pressure. First of all, parents and teachers should support their child. This helps students to cope with this pressure. Time management and proper planning is another solution. Every student should manage their time during exams. This can help students to cope with depression and anxiety. Teachers should console students and give proper breaks and time for relaxation.
To wrap up this, if we follow these solutions, then it will be easy to improve our mental health. In conclusion, academic pressure can affect the mental health of every student, which can lead to anxiety and depression, so we should support students.

AI Feedback Report Details

Spelling · Grammar · Vocabulary · Criteria Analysis

Spelling Mistakes

2 errors
Misspelled WordCorrected Word
well- beingwell-being
letterlater

Grammatical Mistakes

7 errors
MistakeCorrectionExplanation
students mental healthstudents' mental healthPossessive form needed for plural nouns
this can lead toThis can lead toCapitalization error at the start of a sentence
teachers givesteachers giveSubject-verb agreement: 'teachers' is plural and requires 'give'
When students can not perform well teacher gives them punishment.When students cannot perform well, teachers give them punishment.Missing comma and subject-verb agreement
when student has a fear, that he or she might not pass the examWhen a student has a fear that he or she might not pass the examArticle misuse ('a student' needed) and unnecessary comma
their childtheir childrenPronoun-antecedent agreement: 'students' is plural, so 'children' should be plural
Time management and proper planning isTime management and proper planning areSubject-verb agreement: compound subject requires plural verb 'are'

Vocabulary Improvements

11 suggestions
Original Word/PhraseImproved Word/PhraseExplanation
uponon'Upon' is formal and less common; 'on' is preferred for 'effects on' in modern academic writing
mental problemsmental health issuesVague; 'mental health issues' is more specific and appropriate
ButHoweverToo informal for academic writing; 'However' is more suitable
lead itare a primary causeIncorrect phrasing; 'lead it' is not standard; use 'are a primary cause' for clarity
gives heavy workloadassigns a heavy workload'Gives' is informal; 'assigns' is more academic and precise
burn outburnoutIncorrect collocation; 'burnout' is the standard noun for mental exhaustion
the most important thinga significant factorToo informal for academic writing; 'a significant factor' is more objective
Besides all thisFurthermoreToo informal; 'Furthermore' is better for academic transitions
lessenalleviate'Lessen' is somewhat informal; 'alleviate' is more precise and academic
First of allFirstlyToo informal for academic writing; 'Firstly' is more appropriate
To wrap up thisIn summaryToo informal; 'In summary' is standard for conclusions in academic writing

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Detailed Criteria Feedback

AI-powered analysis for each scoring criterion

Task Response5
Evaluation
The essay partially fulfills the task by identifying causes (e.g., parental expectations, heavy workload, fear of failure) and solutions (e.g., support, time management, breaks). However, ideas are not fully extended or supported with detailed examples or explanation, leading to a superficial treatment of the topic.
Examples
Causes are listed without elaboration: 'Parents have many expectations from their children' is stated but not explored in depth. Solutions like 'Time management and proper planning' are mentioned but not linked specifically to reducing mental health issues.
How to Improve
Develop each cause and solution with specific examples and consequences. For instance, explain how parental expectations translate into pressure, or provide strategies for effective time management. Ensure all parts of the prompt are addressed thoroughly with relevant details.
Coherence & Cohesion5
Evaluation
The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, but paragraphing is inconsistent and linking devices are weak. The flow of ideas is sometimes choppy, and transitions are simplistic.
Examples
The introduction is fragmented: 'Academic pressure has many serious effects...' is separate from the next sentence. Transitions like 'Besides all this' and 'To wrap up this' are used but do not smoothly connect ideas. Paragraph breaks are not always logical.
How to Improve
Organize paragraphs around single main ideas (e.g., one paragraph for causes, one for solutions). Use a range of cohesive devices (e.g., 'Furthermore,' 'In addition,' 'As a result') to improve flow. Ensure topic sentences clearly introduce each paragraph's focus.
Lexical Resource5
Evaluation
Vocabulary is basic and repetitive, with errors in word choice and limited range. Key terms like 'pressure,' 'anxiety,' and 'depression' are overused, and some words are misused, reducing precision.
Examples
Incorrect word choice: 'which letter can cause anxiety' (likely meant 'later'). 'Console' is used where 'counsel' or 'support' might be more appropriate. Repetition: 'academic pressure' and 'mental health' are frequently repeated without variation.
How to Improve
Expand vocabulary by learning synonyms and more precise terms (e.g., 'excessive demands' instead of 'heavy workload,' 'psychological distress' instead of 'mental problems'). Use a thesaurus cautiously and practice incorporating new words in context to improve accuracy.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy4.5
Evaluation
There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement, article omission, and punctuation mistakes. Sentence structures are predominantly simple, with limited complexity, affecting clarity and range.
Examples
Subject-verb agreement: 'teachers gives' should be 'teachers give.' Article omission: 'when student has' should be 'when a student has.' Punctuation: 'this can lead to pressure' should start with 'This' after a full stop. Awkward phrasing: 'which letter can cause anxiety.'
How to Improve
Review grammar rules, especially for articles, verb tenses, and subject-verb agreement. Practice writing compound and complex sentences (e.g., using relative clauses or conditional structures). Proofread carefully to correct errors and improve sentence fluency.
💡
Tip: Review the Band 9 model answer to see how a high-scoring essay structures arguments, uses advanced vocabulary, and maintains coherence throughout.

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