Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Whilst is it often argued that competitiveness in every aspect of our life is a positive attitude as it improves one's skills and make them better than others, i believe being more helpful towards each other is better instead for the overall betterment of a society.

On the one hand, competition at organizations, educational institution and everyday life is considered as a driving force to become successful both individually and collectively because competitive people are naturally more hard working and disciplined. They would push beyond their limits to become better and successful. Moreover, they are smarter and more confident compared to people who are not very competitive. Furthermore, competition profits organizations as employees perform better and students bring reputation for their results. For example, competition in sports make players practice rigorously and perform better during matches to win for their country.

On the other hand, it is important for the society to be more cooperative towards each other helping those who are weaker than the others. As human beings, it is our nature to help people in need as we live in a society. If we work as a team we would be able to understand each other's perspective and weaknesses, ultimately improving them to become stronger individuals. This way we can achieve something bigger for the society as a whole. For example, when employees of a department collaborate with each other to resolve a problem rather than competing to get appraisal from manager, they understand the problem better and take accountability, fulfilling the target.

In conclusion, although competition is necessary in different points of our lives to be a successful person, i think cooperation is also required to help others and grow as a society .

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 with examples, such as the mention of sports and workplace collaboration. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial; for instance, the argument that competitive people are 'smarter' is a generalization that lacks nuance. To reach a higher band, you should aim to deepen your analysis by exploring the long-term consequences of these behaviors rather than just listing attributes. Overall, the position is consistent and the task is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' to link your points effectively. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. To improve, ensure that the relationship between sentences is more varied and that referencing (e.g., 'this way', 'these behaviors') is used to create tighter links between your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'rigorously', 'accountability', and 'collectively'. However, there are instances where word choice could be more precise or academic. For example, 'competition profits organizations' is slightly unnatural; 'benefits' or 'enhances the productivity of' would be more appropriate. Additionally, there are minor errors in collocation, such as 'positive attitude' when referring to a concept like competitiveness. Expanding your vocabulary to include more sophisticated collocations and idiomatic expressions would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are recurring grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'competition... make players practice' should be 'makes') and capitalization (e.g., 'i' instead of 'I'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some missing commas in complex sentences. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic errors and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, to demonstrate greater control.

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

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