Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people think that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing. Others believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

there has been considerable debate about whether competition or cooperate is better. while some people believe that competition at work or even in daily life is good and encourage them to work hard. others argued that helping eatch other is much better to achieve a good result in short time without stress. this essay will examine both prespective before concluding that balanced approach is the most benefical.

on the one hand, those who support competition argued that it play a major role in the development and hard working even at bad times or when they feel tired because they only see their objects and they should acheive it with any consequence. this is manily because they compare themselves with other and always want to have better results. as a result , they put all their interest in the result and don't think how this harmfully affect them or relaise if they achieve a develpment. for example some students think only about the marks without having any interest if they really understand the subject.

on the other hand, supporters of cooperation believe that helping each other and work together to have a good result is more effective.one of the main reasons for this is that working together have a better results in a shorter time. also here individuals don't feel themselves in a competation so they focus in the pelsonal develpment that they are relasing without any stress. this means that they will work in better condition and learn how to deal with a group. for instance i did last summer an internship an international company and then i relaised the good results they achieve it that it is due the good teem work and how they help each other and they only focus in the succes that they will relaised all of them.

in conclusion, although both prespactive have their merits i believe that a compenation of the both relaise a better result it's important to make an objective and try to achieve it but you can do it with coorperate with others

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question and state a position: the conclusion favours a “balanced approach.” The examples are relevant, particularly the students who focus on marks and your internship experience of teamwork. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The competition paragraph mainly describes working hard and pursuing results, without explaining when competition benefits people or acknowledging possible drawbacks in a balanced way. The cooperation paragraph gives several benefits, but claims such as achieving better results “in a shorter time” need clearer explanation or support. Your final view is also difficult to interpret because the concluding sentence is incomplete in meaning. Develop each side with a clear reason and explain how your examples support your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. The signposts “on the one hand,” “on the other hand,” and “in conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. Within paragraphs, however, the progression is sometimes difficult to track. For example, the competition paragraph moves from working hard to comparing oneself with others, then to harmful effects, without clearly connecting these points. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “this” in “this means that” do not always identify a precise idea. The conclusion also ends abruptly. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each explanation and example explicitly to the paragraph’s main point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “competition,” “cooperate,” “development,” “personal development,” and “team work.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main ideas, but the range is limited and errors in spelling, word form, and collocation are noticeable. Examples include “prespective,” “acheive,” “competation,” and “succes”; these can distract the reader. Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “put all their interest in the result” and “focus in the personal development.” Aim for accurate topic-specific phrases and check spelling carefully. Repeating “good result” and “achieve” also limits precision; alternatives such as “effective outcome” or “make progress” would help express your points more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “as a result,” and “although.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and frequent errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “it play a major role” needs subject–verb agreement, while “working together have a better results” has problems with agreement and number. The final sentence, “you can do it with coorperate with others,” is not grammatically complete. Capitalisation at the start of sentences and punctuation around clauses also need attention. Practise building accurate sentences first, then add subordinate clauses while checking that each sentence has a clear subject and verb.

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