Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-03
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)
A fair quantity of people thinks that competing with others at schools, work and in day-to-day life is a good. However, some people think that people should try to concentrate on their work and they do not have to compare their work with other people. In my opinion former view is the correct one.
On the one hand, some people believe that competition at schools and work places are good thing because, if any student and employee try to compete with other people than they will definitely achieve success in future. Furthermore, if any student cannot do any hard work then they will try to do it when any other students want to compete with that student. To get good score and achievement that student try his best.
On the other hand, some people think that doing any work with cooperation is the real key to success because, to achieve any goal people have to concentrate on their work without focusing on any other work. Moreover, by doing any work at school, workplace and in daily life with more focus and cooperation we can know our mistakes and get a chance to clear it .
In my point of view people have to compete with each other so they can understand the strategies. Additionally, they can get fast success by improving them self by comparing themself with other people who are competing with them. Get a deep knowledge about the strategies of learning, working and how to get profit in business.
To conclude, people have to understand that competition with other people will give you more success than cooperating on a work.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the argument for competition relies heavily on the idea of 'success' without defining what that means in different contexts. The second body paragraph regarding cooperation is also quite vague, stating that people should 'concentrate on their work' without explaining how cooperation specifically facilitates this. To reach a higher band, you need to provide more specific, concrete examples—such as how competition drives innovation in business or how collaborative environments foster better problem-solving in schools—rather than repeating general statements about success.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression from the introduction to the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices like 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore' to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as the transition into the final body paragraph ('In my point of view...'). Additionally, some sentences are disjointed, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'clear it' in the third paragraph, which lacks a clear antecedent. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good thing', 'do any work', and 'get success' repeatedly. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'a fair quantity of people' (instead of 'a significant number') and 'clear it' (referring to mistakes). To improve, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'foster innovation', 'collaborative synergy', or 'competitive drive', and ensure that your word choices are more precise and contextually appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('A fair quantity of people thinks'), incorrect article usage ('is a good'), and awkward phrasing ('if any student and employee try to compete with other people than they will definitely achieve'). There are also issues with pluralisation and pronoun usage ('improving them self'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.
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