Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-11
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)
Competition plays a significant role in different ways. Some people think that comparing at work, at high school and in daily routine is something better. Others think that we should try to cooperate more rather than comparing against each other.
On the one hand, Rivalry brings people to pay more attention in school, work and in daily tasks of life. People are in a race to become more better from others. They perform better in multiple tasks including sports, championships, co-curicular activities, problem solving and so on. For instance, 2 teams have to play against each other. They perform much better and everyone try to be in his/her best form. While, only 1 team is playing without any battle they perform normal.
On the other hand, some people believe that they should try to collaborate with each other instead of being competitive environment. When people cooperate with each other it increases unity, power and team work. People can face any challenges in team work and balance the burden of work. Team collaboration brings people together which enhances brotherhood, faith, helping hand and perform better as a team. For Example, I have got a chance to complete my thesis in a group of people. It helps me to work more smarter, whenever I got confuse on one topic my collegue helps me out which increases my faith on team work.
To conclude this, I prefer to collaborate with people instead of being in competitive environment. Because Cooperation brings more happiness and give a person chance to work more smarter than being in a competition.
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 sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation of why competition is beneficial is supported by a simple sports analogy, but it lacks depth regarding the psychological or professional impacts. Similarly, the argument for cooperation relies on a personal anecdote about a thesis group, which is relevant but could be expanded to discuss broader societal or organizational benefits. The response covers all parts of the prompt, but the arguments remain at a surface level, preventing it from reaching a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude this' are used to signal the structure. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition between the sports example and the general point about competition is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'they' in the second paragraph, which does not clearly refer back to a specific noun. Overall, the progression of ideas is coherent, but the use of cohesive devices lacks flexibility.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is often repetitive and lacks precision. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'comparing' instead of 'competition' and 'more better' (a grammatical error that also impacts lexical precision). Phrases like 'perform normal' and 'work more smarter' are non-standard and indicate a limited range of collocations. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'cooperate', 'rivalry', and 'collaboration', the overall range is restricted, and the errors occasionally make the intended meaning slightly awkward, though communication is not impeded.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there is a high frequency of grammatical errors. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('everyone try to be'), comparative errors ('more better', 'more smarter'), and incorrect word forms ('competitive environment' used as a noun phrase where an adjective or noun was required). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the writing from being considered accurate. While the meaning is usually clear, the density of errors is noticeable throughout the text.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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