Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-07

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 6.0)

There are competing views on whether competition or cooperation in different areas of life such as at school, at work and in daily life are a good thing. Although competition is necessary to remain determined, I think cooperation is also important because helping each other keeps motivated and satisfied. Therefore, a balanced approach should be adopted.

Those who argue that competition is a good thing believe in winning by defeating others which is the main aim of living. In other words, people do not work in any sector without competition. Even people are competing against each other for the basic needs of life. As a result, everyone is doing hardwork to fullfil their needs. For instance, due to the high competition in job market, students remain determined and study hard to make their profile to stand high enough in the merit list, particularly in government sector job vacancies. If there is no competition, people loose determination and do not try to get high grades or experience. If this is the case, people will do nothing as they would be sure that they can get all things without doing nothing. However, competition is important for the man's survival in this world, I believe it should be to a certain extent without affecting people's mental health and overall well-being of society.

Other, on the other hand, argue that cooperation is necessary rather than competing against each other. Cooperation is as essential as competing due to the fact that people depend on each other. They cannot perform all the tasks independently, especially in important life aspects, including at workplace, at university and while making practical decision such as choosing a partner or a career. Employees are somehow dependent on other employees e.g to take help in one domain and in business project completion. Likewise, students depend on teachers and children depend on parents. Cooperation is like a circle, individuals are cooperating with each other unknowningly.

In conclusion, I think both cooperation and competition are the main survival components and both of them should be present in a certain extent. If one exceeds other, it will have negative impact on people as well as the whole world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You discuss both perspectives and state a clear overall view: competition can sustain determination, while cooperation supports people who depend on one another. The examples about students seeking government jobs and employees working on projects are relevant and help explain the arguments. However, some claims are broad or insufficiently explained, such as “winning by defeating others” being “the main aim of living,” and the point that without competition people “will do nothing” is asserted rather than demonstrated. The cooperation paragraph lists examples of dependence but could explain more clearly how cooperation improves outcomes, and your conclusion repeats the balanced position without drawing together the main reasons. Develop these ideas with more precise reasoning and support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for competition and cooperation, and a conclusion. The progression from one viewpoint to the other is easy to follow, and signposts such as “For instance,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some flexibility in linking ideas. However, a few connections are mechanical or unclear. “Other, on the other hand” is awkward, and “Cooperation is like a circle” does not clearly explain the relationship between the preceding examples. Some sentences also contain several ideas without a clear hierarchy. Use more precise referencing and make each paragraph’s central claim and supporting explanation connect explicitly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “competition,” “cooperation,” “determined,” “merit list,” and “mental health.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “job market” and “overall well-being.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “remain motivated” is needed instead of “keeps motivated,” “make their profile to stand high enough” is unclear, and “practical decision” is not a natural fit for the examples given. Spelling errors such as “fullfil,” “loose,” and “unknowningly” are noticeable. Build accuracy by learning common word partnerships and checking spelling, while choosing precise expressions rather than relying on broad phrases such as “all things.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including concessive clauses (“Although competition is necessary…”) and conditional sentences (“If there is no competition…”). Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. In the opening, the plural subject “views” is followed by “are a good thing,” and “helping each other keeps motivated” lacks a clear object and has faulty agreement. Other examples include “people loose determination” and “both of them should be present in a certain extent,” where verb form or preposition patterns need correction. Punctuation around examples is also inconsistent. Practise checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and complete clause structures, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb. More accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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