Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Few individuals are of the opinion that competition at work, at school, and in every day life is an important thing. However, other people are of the view that they should try to cooperate more, instead of competing against one another. Both views will be discussed.

On the one hand, cooperation is an integral part of any organisation because of positive outcome it produces. By working with each other, it produces good outcome in workplace because all hands will be on desk without having feelings of work pressure.

Similarly, it promotes team work. When individuals work together, they share their various ideas and weigh the pros and cons to be able to arrive at a workable agreement. For instance, in an organization where new product is to be established within a short period of time, it can only be achieved through team work where individuals rub minds together, share their knowlege about the product, and devise means of achieving their goals.

On the other hand, competition at work help workers develop hidden potentials in them. There are some individuals who dont discover their talents unless they are being pressured. For example, in my organisation, there was an introvert amongst us who dont relate with anybody. However, a huge task was given to us to provide an analysis of a project, this colleague who has not contributed to growth of our company was the first to generate an idea to the success of the project.

In conclusion, aside from the development of hidden potentials I am strongly of the opinion that working together have more benefits in team work creation and postive outcome production.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both cooperation and competition, and your final sentence makes your preference for cooperation clear. The examples—especially the team developing a product and the colleague contributing an idea—are relevant to the topic. However, the discussion is uneven: cooperation receives two paragraphs, while the benefits of competition are mainly illustrated by one personal example, with little explanation of how competition helps more broadly at school or in daily life. The opening says both views will be discussed but does not establish your own position until the conclusion. Develop each side more fully and state your view clearly in the introduction, then explain how your examples support it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a discussion of cooperation, a contrasting paragraph on competition, and a conclusion. The signposts “On the one hand,” “Similarly,” and “On the other hand” help readers follow the shift between ideas. However, the progression within some paragraphs is less clear. For example, “By working with each other, it produces good outcome” has an unclear reference, and the connection between reduced work pressure and cooperation is not explained. The conclusion also repeats benefits already mentioned rather than drawing the comparison together. Use clearer references, explain the links between claims and examples, and make the final comparison more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “integral part,” “pros and cons,” “hidden potentials,” and “workable agreement,” which helps convey the main ideas. There is also some variety in how you describe cooperation and competition. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “all hands will be on desk,” “rub minds together,” and “outcome production.” Spelling errors such as “knowlege” and “postive,” along with “every day” where “everyday” is intended, also reduce control. Aim for more natural academic phrasing and check spelling carefully; precise expressions will make your arguments easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “where,” and “unless.” Most of the message remains understandable, but errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction recur. For example, “competition at work help workers” needs subject–verb agreement, while “this colleague who has not contributed … was the first” shifts awkwardly between present perfect and past time. In “because of positive outcome it produces,” an article is missing, and “working together have more benefits” has an agreement error. Practise checking each sentence’s subject and verb, and use consistent tense when narrating past events. More accurate control of these patterns would strengthen your varied sentence attempts.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.