Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-10

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)

Certain individuals consider competition in various aspects of life, such as the workplace, educational environment and even daily situations, as beneficial, while others claim that emphasising collaboration deeply could be more effective. This essay will argue that both competition and cooperation can enhance overall productivity if they are implemented depending on the situation.

As competition is the driving force of personal growth, it always remains essential in any part of our lives. A human being tends to strive for levelling up his position in a particular group, such as in a school, at work and even at the gym. This tendency causes a natural competition among individuals, requiring constant learning. For instance, school students try to be the best students at the school by studying harder than other classmates, which may be valuable in their future academic path. Furthermore, a worker at a company endeavours to develop innovative solutions to earn higher compensation or go up the career ladder, motivating others to stay proactive.

On the other hand, achieving greater goals heavily depends on teamwork, which demands strong collaboration. By cooperating with coworkers, teams break down complex issues into manageable parts, and each staff member can complete their share of work easily. Another good thing is that when a worker finishes his task before the deadline, he can give a hand to another coworker, preventing the final product from being delayed.

In conclusion, I believe an adequate mix of competition and collaboration would be the most balanced strategy. Only by achieving this balance can organisations, schools and the whole community reach their full potential.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the benefits of competition and cooperation while clearly stating a position in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported with examples, such as the mention of students striving for academic success and coworkers breaking down complex tasks. However, the development of ideas could be slightly more nuanced to reach a higher band. For instance, the discussion on competition is somewhat generic. To improve, you could explore the potential downsides of excessive competition or the specific conditions under which cooperation might fail, which would demonstrate a more sophisticated engagement with the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the transition between the two main body paragraphs is smooth, using 'On the other hand' effectively. Cohesive devices are used appropriately, such as 'For instance', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion'. The paragraphing is logical and contributes to the overall clarity of the argument. The flow of information is consistent, and the reader can easily follow your line of reasoning from the introduction to the final summary. The use of referencing is generally clear and does not cause confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'driving force of personal growth', 'innovative solutions', and 'reach their full potential' are used effectively. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices are slightly repetitive or could be more precise. For example, 'give a hand' is a bit informal for an academic essay; 'assist' or 'support' would be more appropriate. Overall, the vocabulary is adequate for the task, and errors in word choice do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use complex sentences effectively, such as 'Only by achieving this balance can organisations, schools and the whole community reach their full potential.' While there are occasional minor errors, such as 'emphasising collaboration deeply' (which sounds slightly unnatural) and 'levelling up his position' (where 'improving' or 'advancing' would be better), the majority of sentences are error-free. Your control over punctuation and grammar is generally strong, and the errors present do not interfere with the reader's understanding of your points.

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

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