Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
In today's world, there is a large number of competition in daily life, from children to adults. Some people argue that competition at work, at school and in daily life is beneficial. While others argue that an individual should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other. In my opinion, a sufficient amount of competition is important, while excessive competition can be harmful.
On the one hand, competition at school can be beneficial for the students to keep them motivated. This is because if students do not compete with each other, then they will not encourage themselves to study. For example, if a child is scoring average marks in academics, then they can compete with other students to motivate themselves to study and increase their academic score. Furthermore, competition at work can be beneficial for the employees. If an individual employee competes with others to achieve the higher positions, then it increases the chance of getting successful in life. In addition, competition can play important role in daily life. For instance, if an individual competes with the high-status families, then they might end up upgrading their lifestyle.
On the other hand, critics argue that cooperating in life is beneficial because competition can sometime causes depression. If a person is completing in daily life and not able to achieve goals, then they may undergo depression. Too much competition can create stress in everyday life, and can even increase the risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attack, and so on. Additionally, students having competition at young age can distract their brain. If a student is not able to compete with other students, then it might create anger in individual mind. This may distract their brain and may give up too early.
To conclude, competition can be helpful and harmful for an individual. A balanced approach works best. With proper precautions and understanding, competition can help to succeed in life, while excessive competition can causes health problems.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the benefits of competition and the value of cooperation, while clearly stating a personal position. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, such as the mention of academic motivation and health risks. However, some arguments are slightly underdeveloped; for instance, the point about 'high-status families' is a bit vague and could have been better linked to the concept of social mobility or personal growth. Overall, the position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively synthesizes the main points, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0 level of task response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing views. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', 'In addition', and 'To conclude' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The referencing is clear, and the progression of ideas is logical, which aligns well with the Band 7.0 descriptor for coherence and cohesion.
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 topic-specific vocabulary like 'academic score', 'high-status', and 'excessive competition'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'completing in daily life' (likely meant 'competing') and 'distract their brain'. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. To improve, the student should focus on more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic synonyms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'a large number of competition' (should be 'a great deal of competition'), 'can sometime causes' (should be 'can sometimes cause'), and 'at young age' (should be 'at a young age'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not significantly impede understanding. The control of punctuation is generally good, but the recurring subject-verb agreement and article errors suggest that the writing is firmly within the Band 6.0 range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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