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)

Some arguments such as, "Competition is necessary to grow in life" prevail in this world. While others argue that cooperation will benefit the society as a whole. In my opinion healthy competition is necessary for innovation

Supporters of competition state that it is necessary to have an active competition with your peers for growing in life. A healthy competition among your peers always keeps you on your heels to succeed in a particular task. These small achievements motivates the individuals to aim for higher goals. Even in a corporate environment, having that motivation to surpass your colleagues, makes one brainstorm more than the other, subsequently producing better results.

While it is desirable to have productive competition, it is not always practiced in real life and may result in some people holding prejudices. Instead, others believe in cooperation, where success is shared equally between everyone. Cooperation can also have a motivating effect on the public to share the victories of the individuals with the entire team. It also inherently harbors the practitioners to participate more in charity, helping the ones who need it the most. It may develop feelings of compassion among the people, which may eventually lead to more people respecting, and having positive feelings for each other.

In my opinion, I feel that have grown much more while being among highly competitive individuals who have clear goals about their life. Having that company makes you more productive as you feel the necessity to surpass others. All in all, I hold the opinion that competition is necessary for 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. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of innovation in the workplace and the social benefits of cooperation. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on cooperation could have been strengthened with a more concrete example of how it functions in a specific setting, such as education or team sports. The conclusion is clear, but the overall depth of the argument remains at a general level. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with specific evidence or logical consequences.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. There is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'While', 'Instead', and 'All in all', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be more varied. For example, the use of 'others' and 'the people' is repetitive. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that the relationship between sentences is always explicit would enhance the flow and cohesion of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You have used some effective collocations like 'corporate environment', 'healthy competition', and 'productive competition'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and a lack of sophisticated, less common lexical items. For example, 'harbors the practitioners' is an awkward collocation in this context. Additionally, the phrasing 'Some arguments such as... prevail' is slightly unnatural. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring that word choices are natural and fit the specific context of the discussion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several error-free sentences, which is positive. However, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'These small achievements motivates' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'I feel that have grown' (missing subject). Punctuation is generally correct, but the sentence structure in the introduction could be more refined. While the errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and ensuring all clauses have clear subjects will help improve your accuracy.

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