Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-16
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 work, at school and in daily life is a good thing, while others believe that we should try to cooperate more, instead of competing against each other. This essay will discuss both views before explaining why I believe that competition at different occupations of life is beneficial.
On the first hand, it is argued that competition at work, school and in daily life is a good thing. They believe competitions are beneficial for branch sharpness, some physical competitions makes healthy impact. With the help of competitions people will know where they are standing they can get their outcomes and make them resilience against mistakes. For example, at school, if teaches organizes different competitions, these competitions will help teachers to identify students capabilities.
On the other hand, other argued that we should attempt to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other. Their point is that cooperation has more impact on people mental or physical health. If a student or an employee will participate in a competition and as a result they will not achieve success there is possibility that their male may be damaged. So, we can help them to achieve their goals by cooperation with them. There is a point that if people doesn't participate in competition how they will find out the results and know there they are standing. For example, at school, if regular tests are not conducted and student directly appeared in final exam there is a possibility of student's failure as student don't aware about their performance as regular tests not conducted.
In conclusion, it is good to cooperate instead of competition with each other. But competitions have higher positive impact on people's mental and physical health.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The essay addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion, fulfilling the basic requirements of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. While the first body paragraph attempts to explain the benefits of competition, the reasoning is somewhat vague, using phrases like 'branch sharpness' which are unclear. The second paragraph attempts to discuss cooperation but becomes repetitive and slightly confused in its logic regarding the necessity of tests. The conclusion contradicts the essay's stated position, as the introduction claims competition is beneficial, but the conclusion states it is 'good to cooperate' while simultaneously claiming competition has a higher impact. This lack of clarity in the position impacts the overall task response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the first hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', but these are sometimes used mechanically or incorrectly (e.g., 'On the first hand' is non-standard). The progression of ideas within paragraphs is occasionally disjointed, particularly in the second body paragraph where the argument about school tests becomes circular and difficult to follow. Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to determine exactly what the writer is referring to in certain sentences.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary range is limited and often imprecise. There are several instances of awkward word choices or non-standard collocations, such as 'branch sharpness', 'occupations of life', and 'male may be damaged' (likely intended to be 'morale'). These errors occasionally impede the reader's understanding. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary related to school and work, the lack of precision prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. To improve, the student should focus on learning collocations and ensuring that the words chosen accurately reflect the intended meaning in a formal context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. While there are attempts at complex sentences, they are frequently marred by grammatical errors, such as 'some physical competitions makes healthy impact' (subject-verb agreement) and 'if people doesn't participate' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are issues with sentence boundaries and clarity. The frequency of errors is noticeable and occasionally causes the reader to pause to decipher the intended meaning. A greater variety of error-free complex structures is needed to achieve a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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