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 thought by some people that competition is a good thing at places like work, school and daily life. Other set of people believe that cooperating with others is better than competing against them. I believe that competition is better than cooperation because it helps in bringing best of each other due to increased efforts to become better than other person.
When 2 or more persons are in a competition they try to do their best to outperform other people. It is a natural mindset to put more efforts in work so as to make sure that we are ahead of competition. If a student spends 10 hours a day studying, then his/her competitors will try to study 11 hours a day in order to get more marks. Competition basically puts a fire in a person's heart and motivates him/her to become better every second. Two years ago, there was an intense competition between Google and OpenAI for becoming the best chatbot. As a result both improved the quality of their chatbots and reduced the price of it resulting in welfare of the people.
Having said that, it is natural for some people to feel that cooperating with others is better for well being of people because helping each others make not only theirs but ours life easier too. If a person is lacking knowledge or a resource to perform a necessary task, then he can get the missing piece by just asking others for help and someday he can return the favour to that person leading to improvement in both of the person's life. The perfect example of cooperation in play is "group study" where a student learns a subject from his own friends and teaches the topics which he/she knows. It is proven that group studies can teach a student faster and with a great accuracy.
In my opinion, competition is better because of the motivation it offers whereas cooperation has it's own benefits, main one being able to make life easier with the help of other people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation before clearly stating a preference. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the Google vs. OpenAI comparison and the concept of group study. However, the development is somewhat simplistic. While the position is clear, the arguments could be extended further to reach a higher band. For instance, the discussion on competition could explore the potential downsides (like stress) to provide a more nuanced perspective, which is expected at higher levels. Overall, the task is fulfilled adequately, but the depth of analysis remains at a moderate level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'When 2 or more persons', 'Having said that', and 'In my opinion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive (e.g., 'the person's life', 'both of the person's life'). Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints. To improve, the student should aim for a more sophisticated range of linking words and ensure that the flow between sentences is smoother and less predictable.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'outperform', 'intense', and 'welfare'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor collocation errors, such as 'bringing best of each other' (should be 'bringing out the best in each other') and 'with a great accuracy' (should be 'with great accuracy'). The range is sufficient for the topic, but more precise and academic vocabulary would be required to reach a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent minor errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include missing articles ('the best of each other', 'the well being of people'), subject-verb agreement issues ('helping each others make... life easier'), and incorrect pronoun usage ('it's' instead of 'its'). The sentence structures are functional but lack the variety and complexity needed for a higher score. The errors do not impede communication, but they are noticeable throughout the text.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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