Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-08

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)

Ambition is important in one's life because without it one cannot reaches it's own potential be it at work, school or daily life. Thus, competition comes into play in our life. I believe it necessary to commit to a healthy competition in whichever environment we are present in like workplace, school or daily life. With competition comes the ability to challenge one self to do better in life. For example, in school when one friend scores more in an examination than the other friend , the latter would want to improve herself an try harder on her next examination. This is an example of a healthy competition where individuals are not jealous of another's success rather he or she is motivated to work harder towards his or her goals.

However, there is a huge difference between a healthy competition and a toxic competition. The gap between the two is that in a toxic competition people only see the negative side of the world. They make everything feel like a competition in life. An individual who sees competition important in everthing tends to compete even in freindships. For example, friendship is about sharing ,compromising and cooperating with each other alongside with fights and arguments. however when an individual views it as a competition , he or she tends to measure this friendship rather than cooperating. They get jealous of their friends success and even talk behind their backs. Thus, this type of competition cannot and should not stay in society.

To conclude , I would say that it is important to maintain a healthy competition in life but keep it within it's limit. There is a boundary that should not be crossed in order to maintain humanity in society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You present a clear preference for healthy competition, and the school-exam example helps explain how it can motivate someone to improve. You also recognise the opposing concern by describing how competition can damage friendships through jealousy and lack of cooperation. However, the discussion is uneven: the benefits of competition receive a concrete example, while cooperation is mainly described as a feature of friendship rather than explored as a broader approach at work, school, or daily life. The conclusion repeats your position but does not explain how competition and cooperation might be balanced. Develop both views more fully and make your opinion explicit throughout—for example, explain when cooperation produces better outcomes than individual rivalry.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on beneficial competition, a paragraph on its harmful effects, and a conclusion. Examples generally follow the points they illustrate, and linking expressions such as “For example,” “However,” and “To conclude” help guide the reader. At times, though, the progression is mechanical or the connections are unclear. The second body paragraph shifts from toxic competition to friendship without clearly linking this example to cooperation as a general alternative. Some references, such as “the latter” and “this type,” require the reader to infer exactly who or what is meant. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example directly to the task’s two views.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss the topic, including “healthy competition,” “toxic competition,” “motivated,” “compromising,” and “cooperating.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some topic-specific phrasing helps distinguish constructive rivalry from harmful behaviour. However, several expressions are imprecise or awkward, such as “see the negative side of the world” and “measure this friendship,” which make the argument less natural. There are also spelling errors, including “everthing” and “freindships,” and some word choices are repeated, particularly “competition” and “life.” Aim for more precise collocations and vary key terms where possible; the suggestions below offer practical alternatives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including conditional and relative structures, as in “when one friend scores more … the latter would want to improve.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “one cannot reaches” should be “one cannot reach,” and “one self” should be “oneself.” In “the latter would want to improve herself an try harder,” the verb form and conjunction need correction (“and try”). There are also agreement and sentence-boundary issues, such as “They get jealous of their friends success,” where the possessive form is needed, and inconsistent capitalisation after full stops. Review verb patterns after modal verbs, possessives, and punctuation while continuing to practise varied sentence structures.

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