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)

Nowadays, the modern generation faces a lot of competition in every field. Some individuals consider the competition at work, in education, and in our daily lives to be beneficial for us. Others argue that we should try to cooperate instead of competing against each other. Although both views have valid arguments, I firmly believe that competition is crucial to becoming successful and achieving one's goals. This essay will discuss both viewpoints before explaining my position

On the one hand. Some people argue that competition is most significant to fulfilling dreams because every field has a large number of competitors, and we have to do better than others. furthermore. People have to give their 100 percent in their fields to achieve a successful job or business. For example, if a person wants to become a doctor, they have to crack the NEET exam. Consequently, supporters of this view believe that we have to excel in our field to compete with others for success.

On the other hand, Others believe that cooperation is far more valuable for fostering a supportive and efficient society. When individuals work together towards a shared goal, they can pool their unique strengths and skills, which often yields more comprehensive solutions than isolated efforts. In moderns workplaces, for exaple, complex projects rarely succeed through individual efforts

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You introduce both views and state a clear preference for competition, but the response only partially fulfils the task. The competition paragraph gives a relevant example—the NEET exam—and explains that candidates need to excel, while the cooperation paragraph offers a useful point about combining skills. However, the discussion of cooperation is cut off before its example or implications are completed, and your own opinion is not developed beyond the opening claim. The response also contains 218 words, below the required 250, so there is limited space to explain and support the ideas. Develop both sides more evenly, finish the cooperation example, and explain why you consider competition more important, while acknowledging when cooperation is beneficial.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph for each viewpoint, and linking phrases such as “On the one hand” and “On the other hand.” This helps the reader follow the basic contrast. However, progression is limited because the second viewpoint ends abruptly, and there is no concluding paragraph to bring the discussion together or restate your position. Some transitions are also awkwardly punctuated or capitalised, as in “On the one hand. Some people” and “On the other hand, Others.” Use complete transitions, connect each example explicitly to its main point, and add a conclusion. These changes would make the organisation more complete and cohesion less dependent on formulaic signposting.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “competitors,” “shared goal,” “unique strengths and skills,” and “comprehensive solutions.” These choices communicate the main ideas and show some willingness to use less common language. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural choices: “the modern generation” is not a precise way to describe people facing competition, “give their 100 percent” is informal, and “a successful job” is an awkward collocation. Spelling errors such as “moderns” and “exaple” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural academic collocations and check spelling carefully. For instance, “perform to the best of their ability” is more suitable than “give their 100 percent.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional example (“if a person wants to become a doctor, they have to crack the NEET exam”) and a relative clause (“which often yields more comprehensive solutions”). Most meaning remains clear, but some grammatical and punctuation errors are present. The opening sentence of the second paragraph is incorrectly divided by a full stop after “On the one hand,” and “furthermore” should not begin a sentence with a lowercase letter. The final sentence is incomplete, leaving the workplace example unfinished. There is also a shift from “a person” to “they,” which is common in informal usage but less controlled in formal writing. Use complete sentences, check sentence boundaries and capitalisation, and vary structures while maintaining accuracy.

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