Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-07-29

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 7.5)

'Competition' or 'Cooperation', it has been a popular debate among people. Although competition helps in making any person more focused and provides them with determination to better themselves, it comes with a sense of mental pressure and also creates disruptions in relationships. Notwithstanding that, cooperation helps everyone move forward together. This essay will discuss both of these sides and then argue that only such competitions should exist which also fosters relationship, i.e. healthy competitions.

When people compete with other, they constantly search for ways to better themselves. This is quite common psychological nature of humans as even in primitive ages, they competed regarding who hunted more or bigger. Because of this tendency, people seek for any improvements which makes them more determined and assists in personal upliftment. For example, a study in the US reported that those children who had competitors often had a stable grade and frequently showed improvement as compared to those who did not think of competition. That is why, being a natural human instinct which pushes people forward, competition is essential.

On the other hand, people are increasingly advocating for more cooperation in all settings because of its ability to take people forward together. While competition helps people improve, it often comes with a great deal of pressure affecting people mentally and physically. Recent studies have found increasing workplace competition to be the primary factor behind growing suicide rates. Meanwhile, cooperation improves relationships among people and decreases toxicity in all places, especially workplace.

In my views, as a human being, competition is necessary to provide a direction in life as without competition the chances of getting distracted increases. However, it should always remain a healthy ones without any sense of enmity.

To sum up, although people argue for necessity of competition, it should only be a means of self-improvement and not hatred. There should be measures in place to ensure it does not grow into a toxic one where people start to grow hate against each other.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the benefits of competition and cooperation while providing a clear personal opinion. The position is consistent throughout the response. Ideas are relevant, such as the mention of personal upliftment through competition and the potential for mental health issues. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat brief. For instance, the example regarding children in the US is a bit vague and could have been more effectively integrated to support the argument. Overall, the response is well-structured and fulfills the requirements of the task, though further elaboration on the examples would elevate the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two sides of the argument. Cohesive devices such as 'Notwithstanding that', 'On the other hand', and 'To sum up' are used to guide the reader through the text. However, there are some minor issues with cohesion, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the opening sentence and the transition between the second and third paragraphs. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the flow could be improved with more sophisticated linking phrases to connect the arguments more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary used is generally appropriate for the task and conveys the intended meaning clearly. There is an attempt to use less common items like 'upliftment', 'enmity', and 'toxicity'. However, there are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices or minor errors, such as 'compete with other' (should be 'others') and 'healthy ones' (referring to competition, which is singular). While the range is sufficient to discuss the topic with some precision, it lacks the consistent flexibility and sophisticated collocation expected at higher bands. The vocabulary is adequate but could be more varied and precise in certain contexts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several error-free sentences, which is positive. However, there are recurring grammatical slips, such as 'it has been a popular debate' (tense usage), 'psychological nature of humans' (article usage), and 'without any sense of enmity' (the use of 'ones' in the previous sentence is grammatically inconsistent). Punctuation is generally correct, but some sentences are slightly clunky. The control of grammar is good enough that communication is never impeded, but the frequency of minor errors prevents a higher score in this criterion.

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