Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-10

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)

In our places of work, competition is sometimes good and bad in equal measure. While some people encourage it because they believe it brings out the best amongst the employees in schools or a companies, others believe more on cooperation instead. In this essay, I will discuss both views and state my position regarding the matter in question.

Competition in schools or places of work helps to bring out the best from employees. According to some people, healthy competition helps to add value to the company or organization. This is because it motivates workers to do better. For example, in schools, competition for promotion encourages teachers to sharpen their methods of delivering the curriculum. As as a result, the school benefits from that type of competition. However, sometimes competion can also become a source of envy amongst workers. Consequently, it can become the cause of negative energy in staffrooms.

For some people, team work or cooperation is better than competion in places of work. Accordingly, they believe that cooperation makes people to achieve the company's goals without negative energy. This is because teamwork creates a culture of brotherhood amongst the employees. For example, a company that encourages cooperation will always have workers engaging in team building activities such as playing together in recreational centers and even in hotels during weekends. As a result, their productivity will increase hence benefiting the company. I believe that cooperation or team work is better than competition in work place or at school in our daily life.

In conclusion, whereas competition in either work place, at school or in our daily lives can bring out the best in us, I strongly believe that at the end of it all, it can cause friction amongs the people. On the hand, cooperation amongst workers or people at school or in daily life creates the spirit of brotherhood. As a result, people win as a team instead. Consequently, if I become a head teacher some day, I will encourage cooperation instead of competition in the school I will head.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the question and gives a clear personal view: you explain how competition can motivate workers, then argue that cooperation is preferable because it supports shared goals and reduces friction. The examples about teachers improving their methods and employees taking part in team activities are relevant. However, the discussion is not equally developed: the benefits and drawbacks of competition receive some explanation, while the case for cooperation relies heavily on general claims such as creating a “culture of brotherhood.” The task also refers to school and daily life as well as work, but these settings are only briefly covered. Develop the reasoning with a more specific example and explain more fully why cooperation is better overall.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion that restates your position. Ideas generally progress logically, and linking expressions such as “For example,” “However,” and “As a result” help show relationships between points. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent arrangement and also shows some stronger control through clear paragraphing. At times, though, the links feel mechanical or repetitive: “This is because” and “As a result” recur, and “Accordingly” does not create a particularly clear connection to the preceding sentence. The conclusion also repeats several ideas from the body. Use a wider range of natural transitions and make references between sentences more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “healthy competition,” “productivity,” “negative energy,” and “sharpen their methods.” These choices allow you to discuss motivation, workplace relationships, and cooperation, and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at less common or topic-specific expressions, although some are imprecise or unnatural: “believe more on cooperation,” “competition for promotion” in the school example, and “culture of brotherhood” do not express the ideas as naturally as they could. Spelling errors such as “competion” and “amongs” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe cooperation as building trust or strengthening team relationships.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses (“While some people encourage it…”) and cause-and-effect structures (“This is because it motivates workers to do better”). Most sentences communicate their meaning, and errors do not generally prevent understanding. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, however. Examples include “a companies,” “As as a result,” “makes people to achieve,” and “on the hand”; these involve article use, duplicated wording, verb patterns, and a missing word in a fixed expression. There are also some awkward sentence constructions, such as “I believe that cooperation or team work is better than competition in work place or at school in our daily life.” Review articles, infinitive patterns, and common expressions, then proofread for duplicated or omitted words.

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