Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-09

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 6.5)

The ongoing debate is whether the competition is crucial at work place or it should be replaced by cooperation. In my opinion, a healthy competition enhances the productivity and gives motivation, if rewarded properly. By contrast, a cooperative environment should also maintain to build a teamwork spirit and a sense of brotherhood.

A healthy competition can bring more productivity in every field of life. The individuals can perform better under given criteria while they tend to compete for more opportunities, for instance, financial incentives by the companies can increase the level of satisfaction which in turn brings productivity. Moreover, the competition also produces motivation to work more, for instance, at schools the position holders become more passionate to mainatin their positions. Conversely, if they are not rewarded by the institutions, they will become demotivated and as a consequances they will not get any success after the completion of their degrees.

However, a cooperative environmnent can bring mental peace and sense of learning by different ideas just like a team. For example, in an office, if a task is given to an individual he will consider it as a stressing and tedious work while, a teamwork can create a chance to share the ideas and lowers the burden on an individual. When work together, they learn moral values like brotherhood and harmony, despites the negative emotions like envoy and jealousy, which creates a depressing environment.

In conclusion,the competition is crucial for the individuals betterment like the chances of promotion and the better employment opportunities. Whereas,the moral and social values are learnt through cooperation and teamwork.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both competition and cooperation and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, such as the mention of financial incentives in the workplace and the psychological benefits of teamwork. However, the development is somewhat uneven; the conclusion is quite brief and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented in the body paragraphs. While the position is clear, the depth of analysis could be improved by exploring the potential downsides of competition or the limitations of cooperation more thoroughly to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover,' 'Conversely,' and 'In conclusion,' which help guide the reader through the argument. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical, and some transitions feel a bit abrupt. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'When work together, they learn moral values,' where the subject is missing. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, but the use of cohesive devices could be more varied and natural to achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'tedious,' 'brotherhood,' and 'harmony.' However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and spelling mistakes, such as 'consequances' instead of 'consequences,' 'envoy' instead of 'envy,' and 'despites' instead of 'despite.' These errors do not impede communication, but they do highlight a lack of precision. To improve, the student should focus on accurate spelling and more precise collocations to convey their meaning more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the competition,' 'a teamwork'), subject-verb agreement, and prepositions. For example, 'a cooperative environment should also maintain' should be 'should also be maintained,' and 'When work together' should be 'When they work together.' These errors are noticeable but rarely impede the reader's understanding. To reach a higher band, the student needs to increase the frequency of error-free sentences and improve control over passive voice and complex sentence construction.

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