Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

There is a ongoing argument around some people whether competing at work, at school and in daily life is a better activity compared to cooperate. Although, competition can help us to stay motivated at work, at school and in our daily life, in my view cooperation holds more significant importance in terms teamwork and countering any issue collectively.

On one hand, competition can influence a people to perform better in their daily life whether it is at work, school or in daily life. This is due to the fact that, it constantly challenges their inner ability and improves their cognitive traits over the period. Therefore, people usually learn new skills which will eventually help them in their designated place. Furthermore, it creates a positive attitude towards achieving a specific goal. For example, there was a recent study in our country, where students tend to perform significantly well in a complex task when they were in a competition rather then doing the task alone.

On the other hand, cooperation teaches people to work well in a collective environment, which will help them solve any type of complex task in much more efficient manner. This is because, multiple people can share their knowledge and perspective, which can eventually be helpful for all the people whether they are at work, at school or in their daily life. Additionally, this helps people to create good relationship with other people and build a healthy society. For instance, in Japan students needs to cooperate with each other and clean their classrooms after their school. As a result, their children learns to be more caring and respectful towards their peers.

In conclusion, although there are noticeable benefits can be seen for competition at work, at school and in the daily life, but cooperation helps students to teach much more valuable lessons in life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation before providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. For instance, the example regarding Japanese students cleaning classrooms effectively supports the argument for cooperation. However, the development of the 'competition' argument is slightly repetitive, as the phrase 'at work, at school and in daily life' is used excessively throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, you should aim to vary your supporting points and avoid repeating the same list of contexts in every paragraph. Overall, the position is consistent and the task is fulfilled.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing views. Cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, there is some mechanical repetition of phrases, and the referencing is occasionally slightly clunky, such as in the opening sentence. The progression of ideas is clear, but the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and avoiding the repetitive listing of the three contexts (work, school, daily life) in every paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing for clear communication of ideas. You use some relevant topic-specific vocabulary like 'cognitive traits', 'collective environment', and 'perspective'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'a ongoing argument' (should be 'an ongoing'), 'a people' (should be 'people'), and 'rather then' (should be 'rather than'). Additionally, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, particularly the frequent use of 'daily life'. To improve, try to use synonyms or more precise academic collocations to demonstrate a wider range of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues like 'students needs to' (should be 'need to') and 'their children learns' (should be 'learn'). There are also minor errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'in terms teamwork' (should be 'in terms of teamwork'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your score.

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

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