Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-02

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)

Some people believe that competition in schools, workplaces and daily life is beneficial because it motivates people and to perform great in their life. While others believe that cooperation is more crucial for achieving success. This essay will discuss both the views, and I think that a balance between both of them is the best approach.

On the one hand, competition encourages people to work harder and improve their skills. In school, students often study more seriously when they want to achieve higher grades than their classmates. Similarly, in the workplace, employees may become more productive if they complete for promotion and other incentives. As a result, competition can lead to innovation and better performance. For example, many successful companies develop new products because they want to stay ahead of their competitors.

On the other hand, cooperation is equally crucial because many tasks cannot be completed without teamwork. Working together allows people to share ideas, solve problems and support each other. In schools, groups projects help students to develop communication and leadership qualities. Likewise, in the workplace employees who cooperate usually create a more positive and friendly environment which increases company growth. For instance, doctors and nurses must work together to provide the best care to the patient.

In my opinion, although companies can motivate people to achieve goals, cooperation is more valuable in the long term. When people compete fairly and also cooperate when needed, they can achieve better results.

To sum up, both competition and cooperation have their own advantages. However, i believe that combining healthy competition and cooperation is effective to achieve goals and work bett.er

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both competition and cooperation and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of companies developing new products and the teamwork required in healthcare. The position is consistent throughout the essay. However, the development of the argument could be slightly more nuanced; for instance, the conclusion mentions a 'balance' but does not fully explain how this balance is achieved in practice. Overall, the response is well-structured and fulfills the requirements of the task effectively, demonstrating a clear understanding of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Similarly', 'Likewise', and 'In summary' are used effectively to link ideas and sentences. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints. The flow of the argument is smooth, and the relationship between the ideas is clear. There is no evidence of mechanical or repetitive use of linking words, which contributes to the overall coherence of the piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses a range of topic-specific terms such as 'incentives', 'innovation', 'productive', and 'leadership qualities'. There are some minor errors, such as 'perform great in their life' (should be 'perform well') and 'complete for promotion' (should be 'compete'). While the range is adequate, it lacks the more sophisticated, idiomatic, or less common lexical items that would push the score into the higher bands. However, the vocabulary used is precise enough to convey the intended meaning without any confusion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over basic grammar, and complex structures are attempted, such as 'Although companies can motivate people to achieve goals, cooperation is more valuable in the long term.' There are a few minor errors, such as 'i believe' (capitalization) and 'work bett.er' (punctuation/spelling), but these do not impede communication. The majority of the sentences are error-free, and the punctuation is generally handled well. To achieve a higher band, the student should aim for more variety in complex sentence forms and ensure absolute accuracy in minor details.

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