Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Competition and co-operation 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 an educational setting, it can encourage students to achieve success. The foremost justification lies in the fact 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 an increase in productivity. Employees are competing for promotions and bonuses so that they become more popular. On the other hand, many groups prefer working together. This is best illustrated by the fact that at school cooperative work such as group projects helps students to develop social skills like communication and teamwork. These skills are important for both social development and personal success. More importantly, at the workplace, co-operation can lead more collaboration and more efficient methods to solve the problems. Teamwork creates more ideas and the relaxing environment while competition creates more pressure and burden. Moreover, many people work harder because of fear of lacking behind others. A further point worth considering is that competition leads to toxic environment in which people feel uncomfortable and under pressure. In addition, competition turns into jealousy and enmity. For these reasons, I remain firmly convinced that working together and being co-operative is a good 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 6.5

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-supported, such as the mention of group projects for social skills and the impact of competition on productivity. However, some arguments could be further extended; for instance, the point about 'fear of lacking behind' is introduced but not fully explored in relation to the broader context of the essay. The position is consistent throughout, and the conclusion effectively synthesizes the main points. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully developed with more specific examples or deeper analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing views. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there is occasional repetition of phrasing (e.g., 'competition' and 'cooperation' are used frequently as sentence starters). The progression of ideas is generally smooth, though the link between the final sentence and the preceding arguments could be more seamless to improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task and allows for clear communication of ideas. You demonstrate an ability to use topic-specific language like 'individual achievement', 'productivity', and 'social development'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'fear of lacking behind' (should be 'lagging behind') and 'relaxing environment' (which is slightly informal in this context). While you attempt to use some less common vocabulary, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler, repetitive terms. Expanding your repertoire of synonyms and collocations would help elevate this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several error-free sentences, which is positive. However, there are persistent grammatical errors that slightly affect the precision of your writing, such as 'be at the top in class they put more effort' (missing a conjunction or punctuation) and 'lead more collaboration' (missing the preposition 'to'). Additionally, the phrase 'relaxing environment' lacks an article. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more consistent control over complex structures and prepositions to reach the next band level.

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