Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-12

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 6.5)

Some people believe that competition in different walks of life are beneficial while others argue that there should be sense of collaboration instead of rivalry.

Let's discuss both views one by one.

On the one hand, some people are in favor of competition in different aspects of life whether it be school, work or routine work. They believe that by doing and promoting so, the individuals would be proactive and will have purpose in their life. For instance, if the two students are competing for academic title, let's say, then it is irrelevant who will win because both would learn a lot inn the process. Similarly, in every aspect of life, this explanation is given by people who advocate it.

However, on the other hand, others believe that it creates a habit of selfishness and evilness. Whenever there is a competition, usually our minds percieve the opponent as enemy. So if this kind of behavior is introduced in everyday lives, the society will think not as a whole but everyone for himself/herself. And the whole concept of society is based on cooperation and helping each other as well develop and grow together. For instance, take the example of two schoolchildren, if one of them becomes ill and cannot come to school for few days. As a result, he will miss some classes, now morally the other should teach him those concepts or atleast give him his notes, but if he see him as a competitor, then he would never do that. That's why many people are against the competitive environments.

Personally, I firmly believe that there should be striking balance between the two. We should promote healthy competitions in specific activities and but at the same time prioritize the empathy, compassion and helping each other as these are the core qualities that should be present in successful and great societies

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the discussion and give a clear personal position: competition can be useful, but it should be balanced with cooperation. The examples of students competing academically and helping an absent classmate are relevant and make the contrast easy to understand. This meets the task well, though the two views are not developed equally: the benefits of competition are explained mainly through motivation and learning, while the cooperation argument receives more detail. The claim that competition makes people selfish is also broad and would be stronger with qualification or a specific explanation. To develop the response further, explain when competition is constructive and how cooperation can coexist with it, then connect those points more explicitly to your balanced conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph for each view, and a concluding opinion. Signposts such as “On the one hand,” “However, on the other hand,” and “Personally” help readers follow the discussion, and the school examples support the paragraph topics. At times, however, the linking feels formulaic, and some references are not fully clear. For example, “by doing and promoting so” does not specify the action clearly, while “this explanation” in the first body paragraph refers vaguely to the preceding point. The long sentence beginning “As a result, he will miss some classes” also contains several steps that could be separated. Use more precise referencing and vary transitions so the progression feels smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “proactive,” “advocate,” “selfishness,” “empathy,” and “compassion.” These choices help express the contrast between rivalry and cooperation, and the meaning is generally clear. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural choices that limit precision: “academic title” is not a natural description of students competing, “evilness” is too strong for the point being made, and “routine work” does not clearly mean everyday life. Spelling slips such as “percieve” and “atleast” also reduce accuracy. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling; for example, use “academic achievement,” “self-centredness,” and “daily activities” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional clauses (“if one of them becomes ill”) and contrastive constructions. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur. In the opening, “competition … are beneficial” has a subject–verb agreement error; “there should be sense” needs an article; and “if he see him” should be “if he sees him.” There are also awkward or incomplete constructions, such as “as well develop and grow together,” and the final sentence includes the unnecessary conjunction in “and but at the same time.” Punctuation in the long schoolchild example could be clearer. Review agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, then proofread complex sentences to ensure each clause is complete and correctly connected.

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