Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Competition is known as the biggest source of motivation in professional life and in academic period. Whereas there is also a believe that people should support each other, so that everyone can have best of their life. Competition in Schools and work both are having different aspect in a life and both come with several pros and cons.

Now a days, competitions are tend to be an important part of academic tenure. In schools there are many different type of competitions like, sports competition, speech competition, writing competition and many more. However, In professional life a competition with any person is known as the biggest rivalry and this is a greatest drawback for an active employee. Companies and organizations should do a competition because this part of race is known as business competition and it can never be a source of damage. Nevertheless, many theorists stated that a competition between employees can be a great source of failure since competition will stop a person from learning and it will also effect a person emotionally and mentally. This proves that emotional stability is an important part of success in a working and professional environment while competition can make a person to stop this kind of support and cooperation.

In my opinion, competition in schools and academics make a child improve himself, because competition for a child can make him learn and to know self power. Whereas it is widely known and proven that professional life should be supportive and cooperative since this helps to grow and remain mentally stable.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While you mention the pros and cons of competition in schools and the workplace, the arguments are occasionally repetitive or lack depth. For instance, the distinction between 'business competition' and 'employee rivalry' is introduced but not fully explored. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is supported by more specific reasoning or illustrative examples. The position is clear, but the overall structure of the argument could be more cohesive to ensure the reader follows your logic without needing to re-read sections.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'however', 'nevertheless', and 'whereas' to link sentences. However, some of these transitions feel slightly mechanical or are used incorrectly, such as starting a sentence with 'Whereas' in the introduction, which is grammatically incomplete. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, making the flow between sentences feel disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they are used in the correct context will significantly enhance the logical flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'academic tenure', 'rivalry', and 'emotional stability'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'competitions are tend to be' and 'do a competition'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your expression. To improve, focus on learning common collocations (e.g., 'engage in competition' rather than 'do a competition') and avoid repeating the same words frequently. Expanding your vocabulary to include more academic synonyms will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('competitions are tend to be', 'competition in Schools and work both are having') and incorrect article usage. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are errors in comma placement that affect the readability of your sentences. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like verb tense consistency and pluralisation. Increasing the variety of error-free complex structures will help you move into the higher band range.

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

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