Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Many people thinks that competition in work and school is a good thing, if competition increases in work and school life can create a gap or issues in employees and students, in contrast competition can make employees and students more efficient in their work and studies respectively.

Competition in workplaces and students can increase issues and hatred in each other like if any worker does a great job can get appreciated by their boss while others workers who done the same effort gets ignored , same as in the students when one student does good in his studies gets rewarded by the teacher while the others hard work gets vanished in front of their scholar, which can effect the workers and students performance and may effect them mentally.

Sometimes competition can be good as it creates the sense of getting better by learning from mistakes done by past and can make workers and learners more efficient or good in. their thing for example when one worker gets praised that can creates sense of getting appreciated in every workers mind so they will work more hard to earn that same in. students if one gets appreciated others will too put their effort to do good next time.

On conclusion , in my opinion the best work should be appreciated but by not seeing off the work done by other workers or students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you address both sides of the argument, the discussion is underdeveloped and lacks depth. The introduction is repetitive and lacks a clear thesis statement. The body paragraphs provide some relevant points, such as the potential for increased efficiency versus the risk of resentment, but these points are not supported with sufficient detail or concrete examples. Furthermore, the conclusion is very brief and does not effectively summarize the main arguments or provide a well-reasoned final opinion. To improve, ensure you expand on each point with specific examples and maintain a consistent focus on the prompt throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression of ideas is often hindered by awkward phrasing and a lack of cohesive devices. Transitions between sentences are frequently missing or mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'in students' or 'in workers'. The paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs is weak, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of your argument. To improve, use a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'on the other hand') to connect your ideas more fluidly and ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, which restricts your ability to express complex ideas precisely. You frequently use basic terms like 'good', 'bad', 'work', and 'students'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'vanished in front of their scholar' and 'good in their thing', which are not natural English expressions. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and collocations. Focus on using synonyms to avoid repetition and ensure that the words you choose are appropriate for a formal essay context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Many people thinks', 'one student does good... gets rewarded'), sentence fragments, and incorrect punctuation. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at complex sentences often result in errors, such as the run-on sentence in the first paragraph. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, including correct verb forms and punctuation. Practice writing complex sentences using subordinating conjunctions like 'although', 'because', or 'while' to demonstrate a wider range of grammatical control.

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

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