Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Whether it is competition or cooperation, both are important in their own space. Life can be easier with the balance of both. This essay will discuss the importance of competition and cooperation in everyday life.

Firstly, competition motivates humans. It is beneficial for personal and professional growth as it encourage a person to work hard for the best outcomes. For example, a company has a policy that they offer a vacation to the employee of the year. Then workers will compete with each other to get that vacation. In this way, the competition is good for the company due to the good results, they will get due to the competition. It works similarly for schools, if student get good grades, they build their career because of this competition.

On the other hand, Support is also important for progress. There are some things in day-to-day life, where competitors need cooperation from their colleagues or classmates. For example, a team is working on a project where they have different roles and one of the members doesn't have the skills, needed for the project. At this point, cooperation is more important than competition. Moreover, there are many studies those shows that student gets much good grade if they study in a group instead of working alone.

In conclusion, neither competition nor cooperation can work alone for anybody. Competition is important for progress, but support also holds the same value in daily life. For a good outcome, both need to be balanced according to the demand.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses both sides of the prompt and provides a clear opinion in the introduction and conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the example regarding the 'vacation' as a reward for competition is a bit narrow, and the explanation of why cooperation is important could be more deeply explored with more sophisticated reasoning. While the task is addressed, the arguments lack the depth required for a higher band score, as they rely on simple examples rather than a more nuanced analysis of the societal or psychological impacts of competition versus cooperation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover' are used to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of ideas could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the essay maintains a consistent focus on the topic throughout, which helps the reader follow the argument without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. The student uses basic terms like 'good', 'important', and 'work hard'. While there are some attempts at more specific vocabulary, such as 'outcomes' and 'colleagues', the range remains limited. There are no significant errors in word choice that impede communication, but the lack of less common lexical items and collocations prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. To improve, the student should focus on using more academic synonyms and precise terminology related to social and professional dynamics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('it encourage', 'student get', 'studies those shows') and minor punctuation errors. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. The range of structures is somewhat limited; incorporating more varied complex sentences, such as conditional clauses or passive voice, would help demonstrate better control and range.

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

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