Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-07

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)

It is often argued that people think rivalry at office, at school and at other occasions in daily life are important. Others disagree with this notion and believe that co-operation and helping each other is more important than competition in itself. In this essay we will discuss my point of view and why i agree or disagree with it.

The main reason why i agree that co-operation is more important than competition is because there may be a lot of benefits of teamwork. For instance, spending a lot of time on a lot of topics without any help from colleagues, friends or classmates may be time consuming and, in some cases, it may be impossible for one person to finish that assignment on time and may be unable to gather dater for that topic. A team may facilitate the group to complete the assigned task at a way faster rate with improved quality and details. The same goes for daily life problems were neighbors, friends, and family always try to compare each other's living conditions, lifestyles and educational backgrounds which can cause a lot of conflict and problems in younger individuals. Moreover, if they try to avoid putting all of that pressure on their children then maybe they would consider it way more fun to attend school.

Another important reason is that helping each other out in certain cases especially in group projects in offices may help to yield better outcomes and newer product development as compared to individual performance. There is no doubt that competition is an important driver to developing new talent but sometimes it may lead to negative situations and to disagreements.

in conclusion, i strongly disagree that only competition can result in success. This is mainly because mental wellbeing and healthy development are more of significance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument, but the development is somewhat uneven. While you provide reasons for the benefits of cooperation, the discussion on competition is quite brief and lacks depth. The introduction is slightly confusing, as it states 'we will discuss my point of view' but then fails to clearly outline the two perspectives being discussed. Furthermore, the conclusion is very abrupt and does not effectively summarize the main points or restate your position in a sophisticated manner. To improve, ensure each viewpoint is given balanced attention and that your personal opinion is clearly integrated throughout the essay rather than just mentioned at the end.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, you use 'Another important reason is' and 'The same goes for' to transition between ideas, which feels a bit formulaic. Additionally, some sentences lack clear logical links, such as the transition between the discussion of teamwork and the mention of neighbors and family in the second paragraph. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence will help improve the flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for a higher band score. You rely on somewhat basic phrasing, such as 'a lot of' and 'good thing'. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'gather dater' (likely a typo for 'data') and 'at a way faster rate' (should be 'at a much faster rate'). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology related to the topic of competition and cooperation, such as 'collaborative environments' or 'individualistic pursuits'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For instance, 'people think rivalry... are important' (subject-verb agreement error, as 'rivalry' is singular) and 'were neighbors' (should be 'where'). There are also issues with punctuation and capitalization, such as the lowercase 'i' used throughout the text. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent capitalization.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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