Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-12

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)

In the fast-paced world we live in, it is natural for people to wish to get ahead in life which leads to a competitive spirit. While some people believe it to be a good thing, others showed a different approach. I strongly believe that competition has a positive impact on our lives. In this essay, I shall be delving deeper into both these perspectives.

A lot of people view competition as a part of the learning process and treat it as a tool to enhance their performance. If a person feels competitive at their workplace or their academic institution, they would feel a need to thrive to perform better than their peers. This envious feeling pushes individuals to burn the midnight oil and work hard with determination and perseverance. Being competitive helps people achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Winning against their colleagues or classmates can make people feel like they are on cloud nine and boost their self-confidence.

On the other hand, some believe that we should aim to cooperate with people, rather than competing with them. When the purpose of competition steers away from improving one's performance and becomes more about deafeating the other person, jealousy and malice takes form. Moreover, it may lead to resentment and ruin relationships. Another issue that may arise is that it may end up leading to constant conflicts which would in turn affect the work outcomes.

In my opinion, competition in all spheres of life has abundance of pros if done within a limit. For instance, as a high-school student, me and my friends are extremely competitive about our studies. We compare our grades and discuss the mistakes we made which motivates us to do even more rigorous training and get even better marks.

To recapitulate, competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing as long as we partake in it within a limit. The pros of competing against others outweigh the cons. A competitive spirit encourages us to work hard and achieve our goals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation while clearly stating a personal position. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, particularly in the body paragraphs. However, the development of the 'cooperation' perspective is slightly less detailed than the 'competition' side. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main argument. To reach a higher band, ensure that the counter-argument is explored with the same depth as your own opinion, perhaps by providing a specific example of how cooperation can be more beneficial in certain professional or academic contexts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the transition between the two viewpoints is handled well using phrases like 'On the other hand'. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Another issue', and 'To recapitulate' are used effectively to guide the reader. While the structure is sound, the flow between sentences could be slightly more sophisticated to avoid a somewhat mechanical feel. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the clarity of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, including idiomatic expressions like 'burn the midnight oil' and 'on cloud nine', which add flavor to the writing. There are some minor collocation issues, such as 'abundance of pros' (better: 'a wealth of advantages') and 'rigorous training' (which sounds more athletic than academic). While the vocabulary is sufficient and generally precise, incorporating more academic collocations would elevate the tone. The spelling is accurate throughout, and the vocabulary used is appropriate for the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'me and my friends' (should be 'my friends and I') and 'jealousy and malice takes form' (subject-verb agreement: 'take form'). Additionally, 'deafeating' is a spelling error. Despite these occasional errors, the meaning is never obscured, and the sentence structures are generally controlled. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and pronoun usage to ensure higher accuracy in more complex sentences.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.