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)

Competition plays a vital role for evaluating the person abilities and skills. Some people argue that competition at work, at school, and in daily life is a beneficial thing, while others believe people should cooperate more and avoid compare with each people. This essay discuss both the views of development and at the last explain my opinion about that development.

To begin with, many student and people want to take part in competition for evaluating their imagination. People may take part in games and activities for checking their knowledge and level. Rivalry with other people can increase their confidence and moral of motive. For instance, in school and in work place colleague and faculty members often may arrange rivalry for checking their level and performance.

On the other side, people should cooperate in work or school place for good thing. People can make good relation and bond with colleagues so they can increase their reputation. In addition, being a good person at work and at school and daily life also assist them to rise personality. Society have moral to reduce competition with other because they know we can not judge the person according to their level via performance. For example, many it companies use strategies to makes strong bonding and friendship, so they can easily cooperate more. Also, always try to make appreciation and encourage them to achievements.

In conclusion, I personally believe for certain extent taking a competition at the work place and at the school it advantageous for people to understand their levels. However, i agree to avoid comparing with other person because we can examine the person ability with competition and can make strong bond with people for making good reputation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both sides of the prompt and provides a personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument for cooperation mentions 'reputation' and 'bonding' but lacks specific, well-explained examples to support these claims. The conclusion is slightly contradictory, as it suggests avoiding comparison while simultaneously stating that competition helps understand one's level. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph focuses on a single, well-supported idea that directly links back to the prompt's core question.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'at the last explain my opinion' or 'on the other side'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where 'their' is used repeatedly without a clear antecedent. The transition between ideas is functional but lacks the sophisticated flow required for higher bands. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear pronoun references would enhance the logical progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'moral of motive' instead of 'morale' or 'motivation', and 'rise personality' instead of 'personal development'. The essay relies on a limited range of vocabulary, often repeating words like 'competition', 'work', and 'school'. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more precise collocations and less common lexical items, while ensuring that your word choices are contextually accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

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 (e.g., 'many student and people', 'society have moral'), article misuse, and incorrect preposition usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy, such as pluralisation and verb forms, will significantly improve the quality of your writing.

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

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