Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

It is claimed by some that compettiton at workplace, school and regular life is healthy and should be promoted, while others claim that there should be mutual understanding and cooperation, instead of rivalry. In my view, a healthy competition is always good as it increases productivity and efficiency. On the other hand, a strong competition may induce toxicity among peers and should be adressed timely.

People gets competitive right from the childhood and it often delivered better results. For example, in school days, children often compete amongst each other for academics, sports and other activities. As a result of this rivalry, they give their best efforts to outperform other students, and win the competition. In a similar fashion, in the corporate offices as well, colleagues compete with each other for better performance and buisness productivty. Moreover, in regular life too people compete in various aspects of like. For example, wealth, vacations and collections are some common aspects where families, neighbour, relatives competes and often this lead to a better standard of living.

However, in many cases the, the feeling of competition exceeds healthy level and it becomes toxic, creating unneccasry mental pressure on oneself. In school time, if children loses the competiton, which is inevitable at some point, it poorlt affects thier self-confidence and self-esteem and often they end up doubting thier capablities, that have long-term mental effect. Similary, at workplace and personal life too, rivialry creates unpleasant relation between the peers if not checked timely.

In conclusion, its good to have a competitve enviroment as it maximise our capbilities and motivates us to achive more. However, thier is a saying that "Comparison kills the Joy", which means always competing and rival with each will lead to stress and affects mental health. Its imporatnt to check the competition and should not oveload.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a clear position: healthy competition can improve productivity, but excessive rivalry can harm wellbeing. The school and workplace examples support the benefits, while the discussion of confidence and relationships explains the risks. This covers the task, but some points are asserted more than developed. For instance, the claim that competition in family life leads to “a better standard of living” would be stronger with an explanation of how this happens. The cooperation side is also less fully explored: you describe the harms of rivalry, but do not explain what cooperation enables or provide a concrete example of its benefits. Develop that side and clarify your final recommendation about balancing competition with cooperation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on the benefits of competition, a paragraph on its risks, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “For example,” “Moreover,” and “However” help readers follow the main stages. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, with several examples listed rather than linked through a developing explanation. The phrase “in regular life too” is repeated, and the conclusion introduces a saying without fully connecting it to a practical balance between competition and cooperation. There is also an unclear reference in “rival with each,” which makes the final point harder to follow. Use clearer links between claims and examples, and make references explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “productivity,” “rivalry,” “self-confidence,” and “self-esteem,” which helps express the topic and its effects. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “healthy competition” and “mental pressure.” However, spelling errors are noticeable, including “compettion,” “buisness,” “unneccasry,” and “capbilities,” and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate: “regular life,” “aspects of like,” and “overload” do not express the intended meanings naturally. These slips do not prevent the main message from being understood, but they reduce precision. Proofread spelling carefully and learn common collocations, such as “everyday life” and “put pressure on someone.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while,” “as,” and “if,” and most ideas remain understandable. Some grammatical errors occur, particularly with subject–verb agreement and sentence construction. For example, “People gets competitive” should be “People get competitive,” and “if children loses” should be “if children lose.” In “families, neighbour, relatives competes,” the plural subject requires a plural verb, and the list needs consistent plural forms. The final sentence, “Its imporatnt to check the competition and should not oveload,” lacks a clear subject for the second clause. Aim for complete, parallel sentences and check agreement and punctuation when editing.

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