Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
It is argued that competition at work, at school, and in daily life is a good thing, whereas others believe that people should try to help others than competing against each others. This essay will discuss both views before explaining why I believe it competition plays a vital role on individuals' work or overall society.
On the one hand, those who believe that competition in every sector is important argue that it encourages people to work hard and not to give up easily. Having a competitive mindset, people get motivated to keep their journey whether at work, or at school, or in daily life. For example, every student wants to place first position in class exams. As there are much competition among students, everyone tries to study hard to become first in the class. Moreover, competition may become inspiration for someone. When a person become successful through a tough competition, it will hold a inspirational message, by which, people want to follow his footsteps and become motivated.
On the other hand, there are some drawbacks of having competition. Sometimes it may create extra pressure on individuals and demotivate them. For example. during the exams, many parents place extra pressure on their children, especially to hold first position in the class. This situation may become an extra headache for the children and hamper their studies. Furthermore, over competitive mindset reduces cooperative sharing and may create self-centred attitude. When people become determined to lose anyone at any sector, then they solely think about their own interests and want to defeat their competitors at any cost.
Although there are some drawbacks of having competition mindsets, I believe, the advantages are far more significant. When people hold a competitive mindset, they become achievement-oriented and get enough motivation to work hard. In addition, a healthy competitive sprit can encourage people to improve their skills as they need to hold good position in study or workplace.
To conclude, even though there are some negative sides of competition, I strongly believe that its positive sides are far more significant because of encouraging people to work hard and improving their skills.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the benefits of competition and the value of cooperation, while clearly stating a personal position. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, particularly the arguments regarding motivation and the potential for excessive pressure. However, the development of the 'cooperation' side is slightly less balanced compared to the 'competition' side, as the essay focuses heavily on the negative aspects of competition rather than the inherent benefits of cooperation itself. To reach a higher band, ensure that the alternative viewpoint is explored with equal depth and nuance.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. However, there are some minor mechanical issues with referencing and flow, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the introduction ('competing against each others'). Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the structure supports the reader's understanding throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use less common items like 'achievement-oriented' and 'inspirational message'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'hold first position' (should be 'achieve' or 'take'), 'lose anyone' (likely meant 'defeat anyone'), and 'competitive sprit' (spelling error). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Expanding the range of precise collocations would improve the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer demonstrates an ability to construct complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'competition plays a vital role on individuals' work' (preposition error), 'there are much competition' (subject-verb agreement), and 'When a person become successful' (verb conjugation). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are occasional errors in sentence construction. The errors are noticeable but do not cause significant difficulty for the reader. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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