Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-15

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 5.5)

Some people argue that competition is a good thing whether at work , school or in daily life. Others say we should we less competitive and more cooperative with each others. This essay will discuss both perspective before giving my opinion.

People who support the statement of competition usually say that it is a powerful tool which u can use at work and school and it helps people perform better that also include having competition within yourself in everyday life to do better then your previous day. For instance , students usually try to outperform each other because they have sense of competition among them or to achieve the title of best student which urges them to study hard and same works among working staff competition helps them do better a company usually place awards to get their employ perform better which also helps company too indirectly to have an efficient staff.

Other people say we should be more focused on being cooperative and remove the competition among each other. For example , a student working hard and some winning the best awards than others can psychologically effect the weak student who struggle to do better instead if we do not categories students and also working staff and we collectively be cooperative and work as a team can boost their confident and they not consider themselves unworthy or being less. Thus, we should be more friendly and create an environment which is more and equally encouraging for everyone.

I believe even though competition gives you that urges to perform better which is a valid point. For example, whoever works hard and do better consider the best in a group but also the key factor is everyone is born differently some has the ability to work hard and some may not have that skills or urges. Thus to be cooperative is something we should focus on more than being in competition. It also spread hatred among each other as well as pride to be consider yourself better than others. Hence , schools and any working sector should be more focus on treating everyone equally and working environment should be more calm and collective than causing chaos where everyone trying hard to pulling leg of one another.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the psychological impact of competition on students and the role of awards in the workplace. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the discussion on 'cooperation' could be more nuanced by exploring how it might actually lead to better long-term innovation compared to competition. The essay covers all parts of the prompt, but the arguments remain at a somewhat superficial level, which prevents it from reaching a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central topic. There is a logical progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive (e.g., 'For instance', 'For example', 'Thus'). Some transitions between sentences are abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the link between 'working staff' and 'company' is slightly disjointed. While the overall structure is coherent, the lack of sophisticated linking words and occasional awkward phrasing limits the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'outperform', 'efficient', and 'psychologically effect'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'categories students' (categorize), 'effect' used as a verb instead of 'affect', and 'pulling leg of one another'. The range is sufficient for communication but lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands. Spelling is mostly accurate, but the overall lexical range is somewhat limited.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('competition helps them do better a company usually place awards'), article usage, and sentence fragments. Some sentences are overly long and run-on, which affects clarity. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with spaces missing before commas and periods. While the writer attempts complex structures, the control over them is inconsistent, leading to errors that occasionally require the reader to re-read for clarity.

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