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)

It is often argued that competition at workplaces or school considered good, and others believe that cooperation is better than competing against with each other. I believe competing against your friends or office members is better thing to do rather than cooperate.

First of all, competing against your friends and office workers makes you realise how far you're behind against them. The person with the highest work skills or a topper of a class always provide benefits, and the fame from a teacher or a boss would helps you to grab the future opportunities. For instance, institutions always divide the students based on the performance they delivered during initial test held by institutions, student with high performance is their primary target to provide benefits.

On the other hand, maintaining the cooperation with your friends or office members helps you to rely on them. Depending on your friends or workers, share the burden with each other, and solve the problems or make a decisions always very effective, when you collaborate. However, the final reward might not shared to a group. Especially, the fame or credits could go to other member in a group, although you contributed a lot that doesn't mean you will deserve what you provided to a group.

In conclusion, i believe that we have to maintain competitive environment in a workplaces or schools, even though contribution or cooperation provides some benefits, but in the end, the boss or a teacher care specific individual ,who standout in front of them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal position. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that competition helps one realize their standing and gain favor with superiors, the explanation remains quite superficial. Similarly, the discussion on cooperation is slightly underdeveloped, focusing heavily on the potential loss of credit rather than exploring the broader benefits of teamwork. To improve, you should aim to provide more nuanced examples and expand on the 'why' behind your arguments. The conclusion effectively restates your position, ensuring the task requirements are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to signal the progression of your argument. However, the flow between sentences within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear (e.g., 'the fame from a teacher or a boss would helps you'). Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would enhance the overall cohesion of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'competitive environment' and 'collaborate'. However, there are instances of awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'fame from a teacher' (instead of 'recognition') and 'topper of a class'. Additionally, there are minor errors in word form, such as 'the final reward might not shared' (should be 'might not be shared'). Expanding your range of vocabulary to include more precise academic collocations would help you achieve a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'boss or a teacher care specific individual') and article usage. There are also issues with verb forms, such as 'would helps you' and 'the final reward might not shared'. These errors are noticeable but do not generally impede communication. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, specifically ensuring that verbs agree with their subjects and that auxiliary verbs are used correctly in passive constructions.

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

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