Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-13

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)

Competition and cooperation are two fundamental aspects of human interaction some people support competing in all aspects of life, while others prefer to work together. while opinions remain divided, I firmly contend that competition can drive individual achievement while cooperation is more beneficial for growth. Those who advocate competition assert that it is a powerful motivator that pushes individuals to excel. In educational setting, it can encourage students to achieve success. The foremost justification lies in the fact is that those who strive be at the top in class they put more effort and perform better in exams. Furthermore, at work competition can lead to increase in productivity. Employes competing for promotions and bonces so that they become more popular. On the other hand, many groups prefer working together. This is best illustrated that at school cooperative work such as group project help students to develop social skills like communication and teamwork. These skills are important for both social development and personal success. More importantly, at workplace cooperation can lead more collaboration and more efficient methods to solving the problems. Teams work together create more ideas and the relaxing environment while competition create more pressure and burden. Moreover, many people work harder because of fear of lacking behind others. A further point worth considering is that competition led to toxic environment in which people feel uncomfortable and under pressure. In addition, competition turn into jealousy and enmity. For these reasons, I remain firmly convinced that working together and being cooperative is a best thing to get more skills and for long-term success. While competition can drive individual achievement and innovation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the benefits of competition and cooperation are mentioned, the supporting arguments are occasionally repetitive or lack depth. For instance, the point about 'fear of lacking behind' is introduced abruptly without clear integration into the paragraph structure. The conclusion is also slightly fragmented, as it begins with a summary but ends with a sentence fragment ('While competition can drive individual achievement and innovation.') that does not fully synthesize the argument. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explained with a clear link back to the prompt's core question.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is sometimes hindered by mechanical transitions. While cohesive devices like 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover' are used, they are occasionally applied in a way that feels repetitive or slightly forced. The paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved to ensure a smoother progression of ideas. For example, the transition between the benefits of competition and the shift to cooperation is abrupt. Additionally, the final sentence is a fragment, which disrupts the overall coherence of the concluding paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at using topic-specific vocabulary such as 'fundamental aspects', 'individual achievement', and 'innovation'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and spelling errors, such as 'Employes' (employees), 'bonces' (bonuses), and 'lacking behind' (lagging behind). The range is sufficient to communicate the message, but the lack of precision and the presence of spelling errors prevent a higher score. Expanding the range of collocations and ensuring accurate spelling would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow, such as 'The foremost justification lies in the fact is that...' and 'Teams work together create more ideas'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and missing commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction is noticeable. To improve, the writer should focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with correct subordinate clauses.

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