Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

A considerable proportion of individuals believe that people should compete at educational institutes, at the workplace and in day-to-day life, while others argue that people should collaborate with one another. Although the latter opinion can be beneficial in some cases, I strongly believe that competition in life makes people crave for success.

Competition is of paramount importance in society because it gives motivation and makes us more productive. When students compete with each other at school, they work hard and achieve their goals, which is not possible if they do not have any motive. Furthermore, companies try to beat their competition in technology in today's era, which fosters innovation and provides us with many innovative products. For instance, competition between Open AI and Google gives us better Artificial Intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT and Gemini. They drive fierce industry competition by constantly raising the performance bar in generative AI and forcing tech giants to rapidly innovate.

Proponents against competition argue that a competitive environment in schools and offices encourages a toxic environment and office politics. Hence, If people cooperate with their colleagues and classmates, they will establish real connections with their fellows and by helping each other individuals will thrive better in their profession. For example, research states that organizations that have positive work culture often grow much faster in terms of reputation and revenue compared to companies with toxic work culture.

To conclude, Although collaboration has many benefits, namely personal connections and teamwork, I firmly believe that competition leads us to better career success and innovation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation before clearly stating a personal position. The ideas are relevant and supported by specific examples, such as the rivalry between OpenAI and Google. The position is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, the development of the counter-argument could be slightly more balanced in length compared to the supporting argument. However, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the task effectively, providing a clear and logical progression of ideas that directly answers the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the transition between ideas is smooth. Cohesive devices like 'Furthermore', 'For instance', and 'Hence' are used appropriately to link sentences and ideas. The paragraphing is sufficient and contributes to the overall clarity of the argument. The flow of information is natural, and the reader can easily follow the writer's line of reasoning from the opening statement to the final conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient and generally precise. The writer uses some sophisticated collocations and topic-specific terminology, such as 'paramount importance', 'fosters innovation', and 'tech giants'. There is an attempt to use a varied range of vocabulary, which is appropriate for the task. While there are no major errors in word choice, the range could be slightly more extensive to demonstrate a higher level of lexical flexibility. Overall, the vocabulary is accurate and effectively conveys the intended meaning without any significant repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is generally good control over grammar and punctuation, with most sentences being error-free. For example, the use of conditional structures and complex noun phrases is handled well. There are very few minor slips, such as the capitalization of 'If' in the middle of a sentence, but these do not impede communication or detract from the overall quality of the writing. The grammatical control is consistent throughout the response.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.