Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Many individuals argue that competitive attitude is great at educational institutes, workplace and in everyday lives of people, while others believe that cooperation works better than competition among individuals. I support the later view; however, both perspectives will be discussed in the upcoming paragraphs.

Supporters of first school of thoughts claim that it imposes a mental pressure on individuals to perform beyond their limits and capacity. To put it simply, working in an uncooperative environment promotes self-learning and growth of the individuals. Moreover, several psychological strains due the sabotaging environment leads to increased self- dependent behaviors among peers and builds a self-sufficient individual.

While critics of the aforementioned view, including me argue that working in a cooperative environment leads to more opportunities of career growth. As a result, it motivates people to perform better and sets a positive attitude in life. Working in a supportive environment promotes mental and overall well-being of people. For example, it has been reported that support from seniors in various domains of life leads to better experiences.

In conclusion, competition in various domains of life promotes growth at personal level and builds an independent individual; whereas working in an unsupportive environment leads to mental health issues and sabotages the overall experience of the individual.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the discussion. While the ideas are relevant, they are not fully developed; for instance, the explanation of why competition builds 'self-sufficient' individuals is brief and lacks concrete examples. To improve, you must expand your supporting arguments with more detailed explanations and specific illustrations to meet the length requirement and demonstrate a more thorough exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Moreover', 'While', and 'In conclusion', to link your thoughts. However, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear; for example, the phrase 'critics of the aforementioned view' is slightly confusing because the previous paragraph describes the benefits of competition, not a view that critics would necessarily oppose in that manner. Improving the variety and precision of your linking words will help boost your score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'educational institutes', 'psychological strains', and 'sabotaging environment'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'first school of thoughts' (should be 'first school of thought') and 'support the later view' (should be 'latter'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and 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. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'due the sabotaging environment' (missing 'to') and 'leads to increased self- dependent behaviors' (unnecessary hyphenation). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on proofreading for small errors like missing prepositions and articles, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses or passive voice, to demonstrate greater grammatical control.

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

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