Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
Many individuals believe that competition at work at school and in daily
routine is a good thing. Others think that we should try to understand,
rather than compete against each other. I support foremost view. Both these views and my opinion are discussed in the following paragraphs.
To begin with, people think competition is a good thing. First and foremost, competition is very useful to individuals because it shows people's mind level, whenever people participate in any competition at that time they know about mind level as well as IQ level. For instance, individuals participate in entrance exam like JEE Advance which is hardest second hard exam in the world at that time they know about their IQ level.
Moreover, people in this generation they learn some new skills which is important in the market such as communication skills, marketing skill, and others because they get the promotion in this office. For example, many people work hard and learn some shortcut as well as new thing due to this reason the salary of the people is increase.
On the other hands many people think competition is not too necessary. when individuals not collaborate with competition at that time their knowledge is very poor as well as they feel boring because no any competitions are available for them. For instance, African goverment says student gets admission in univesities without any competition after that their education level is falling sharply.
In my opinion, competition must be important to people because they known their level as well as working on their weakness therefor I choose first view.
In conclusion, competition at work, at school is very important thing to learners, while others think that it is not essential to each other.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is limited. For example, the argument regarding 'mind level' and 'IQ' is somewhat vague and lacks a logical connection to the broader benefits of competition. Similarly, the example regarding the 'African government' is anecdotal and lacks sufficient detail to be persuasive. While the position is consistent, the supporting arguments are under-developed and rely on generalizations. To improve, you should focus on providing more nuanced explanations and concrete, well-explained examples that directly support your main points.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'at that time' are used repetitively and sometimes incorrectly, such as in the sentence 'whenever people participate in any competition at that time they know about mind level'. Additionally, the transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt. While there is a logical progression, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the occasional misuse of referencing make the flow feel somewhat disjointed. Improving the variety and precision of your cohesive devices will help achieve a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is a reliance on basic terms like 'good thing', 'hardest', and 'new thing'. You also struggle with word choice and collocation, such as 'feel boring' instead of 'feel bored' and 'no any competitions' which is grammatically incorrect. There are also spelling errors like 'goverment' and 'univesities'. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition and to express your ideas with greater accuracy and sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'salary of the people is increase'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'no any competitions are available'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your sentence structures are grammatically sound.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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