Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-17

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 assume that competing in the workplace, at educational institutions and in daily life is a great way of helping individuals continue growing. In contrast, other people believe that instead of competing against one another, it is advisable to cooperate more. From my perspective, I believe that these are essential to lead to a sustainable and developed life in any conditions of all aspects of life.

First of all, the working environment is not easy for some fresh graduates or even experienced workers to survive during a tough time. This gives employees plenty of pressure when they meet managers' expectations. Besides, students also face a variety of problems in the academic environment from teachers, peers or schoolwork which cause pupils to feel stressed because of intangible fears that they might fall behind in the class. If people do not assist or collaborate with others, it is impossible to overcome obstacles or hard periods of time in office, school or their everyday life. In the long run, this discourages people from making a plan or accomplish new targets in their life.

On the other hand, if people do not compete with each other, they will gradually depend on others' assistance which makes them easily pleased with accomplishments without striving to achieve new challenges.

In conclusion, I think it is necessary to coordinate and team up with colleagues, assist with classmates even with strangers we come across on the street. This improves civilized lifestyles to create a better society. However, competing with others healthily is also an integral part of life, which helps individuals gain more achievements and become the best version.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The argument for cooperation is supported by examples of workplace and academic stress, but the argument for competition is less developed, appearing briefly in a single paragraph. While the prompt is addressed, the depth of analysis could be improved by providing more specific examples of how competition can be beneficial beyond just 'gaining achievements'. The conclusion effectively synthesizes the two views, but the overall essay would benefit from more balanced paragraph development to fully explore the nuances of both perspectives.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Besides', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the connection between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition from the discussion of cooperation to the brief paragraph on competition is abrupt. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be improved to better contrast the two viewpoints.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use less common items such as 'intangible fears', 'sustainable', and 'integral part'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'easily pleased with accomplishments' (which sounds slightly unnatural) and 'improve civilized lifestyles'. The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score. Expanding the use of topic-specific collocations would enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some successful complex sentences, such as 'If people do not assist or collaborate with others, it is impossible to overcome obstacles'. However, there are occasional grammatical errors, such as 'assist with classmates' (should be 'assist classmates') and 'in any conditions of all aspects of life' (which is wordy and slightly confusing). Punctuation is generally accurate, but the frequency of minor errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. The majority of the sentences are clear, and errors do not impede communication.

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

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