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)

Many individuals believe that competition is beneficial at work, at studies and in daily life. Others think we should lean more towards a cooperative environment instead of competing with one an other. While competition is not a bad thing, i strongly believe that we should be more cooperative than competing.

Some people think that competition in daily and professional life is a good thing because it gives a sense of motivation. For instance, competition between students force them to achieve better grades whereas, those who don't compete they end up losing motivation. Furthermore, competing acts as a milestone where scoring more than their fellows is like winning a race. Consequently, they learn more than their peers. Similarly, if we take an example of an employee, competition at workspaces also helps stay motivated and achieve better results in work and to grow in their field. But in my opinion, competition in every aspects of our life is detrimental as it teaches us hate if we lose to others.

On the other hand, people who believe that we should try to cooperate more, instead of competing are thinking from a perspective of growing and learning together. For example, students who study in a group they try to uplift others instead of hating them. As competition signals hate, cooperative mindset teaches how to celebrate others success instead of being jealous. Similarly, when employees cooperate with each other it makes their surroundings more lively. As a result, they can enjoy a quality time with their co-leagues instead of a stiff environment where everyone is work selflessly.

Although, competition is a good thing but i believe cooperation is better and could lead to better relations with others. At the end, we are humans and we will need each others at some point of our lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and make your position clear: competition can motivate people, but cooperation is preferable because it supports better relationships. The student and employee examples are relevant, and the conclusion returns to the central opinion. However, the two sides are not developed equally in depth. The benefits of competition are explained through motivation and achievement, while the claim that competition “teaches us hate” is broad and would benefit from a more precise explanation or qualification. The cooperation paragraph also relies on general claims about group study and workplace atmosphere. To strengthen the response, explain the mechanisms and consequences behind these examples, and acknowledge that competition can be constructive when it is fair or balanced with cooperation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion stating your preference. Linking expressions such as “For instance,” “Furthermore,” “On the other hand,” and “As a result” help readers follow the progression, and the contrast between competition and cooperation is easy to identify. This already provides a coherent arrangement, but some connections feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely. For example, “As competition signals hate” makes a broad transition from competition to cooperation, while “Although” at the start of the conclusion is followed by an awkward contrast. Some references, such as “they” in the student example, could also be clearer. Use transitions that reflect the exact logical link and connect each example more explicitly to its paragraph’s main point.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “motivation,” “cooperative mindset,” “detrimental,” and “jealous,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts to express nuanced ideas, such as contrasting a lively workplace with a “stiff environment.” However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “at studies,” “scoring more than their fellows,” “quality time” in this context, and “work selflessly.” “One an other” is also incorrectly written as two words. These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less precise, even though readers can usually understand it. Aim for more natural topic-specific phrasing and check collocations; for example, describe students as “achieving higher grades than their peers” and colleagues as “working in isolation.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, using clauses with “whereas,” “if,” and “although,” and most of the argument remains understandable. Some grammatical errors, however, recur in agreement, sentence construction, articles, and punctuation. For example, “competition between students force them” needs subject–verb agreement, and “students who study in a group they try” has an unnecessary second subject. In “Although, competition is a good thing but…,” the conjunctions are incorrectly combined, and “at the end” is punctuated awkwardly at the start of the final sentence. Capitalise “I” consistently. To improve control, check each sentence for a clear subject and verb, and revise complex sentences so that their clauses are joined correctly.

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