Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-18

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)

Few individuals think that competition will be a good thing when we work or at school. where others think people should work hard than competing against each other. In my opinion, its important to have such competitions which motivates them to work hard.

On the one hand, people believe individuals should try to work harder rather than competing others because they think success is in our hands where hard work matters a lot. Furthermore, In this modern period people struggle more for achieving anything where there are various of fields where individuals hard work matters not competition. For example, people get they jobs by their hard work where they struggle to get that job in such field.

On the other hand, I favor those people who believe competition which plays a significant role where people feel motivated by seeing others success. Elaborating Further, with such competitions people will be with positive mindset with this they decide to work harder to reach their destination For instance, in schools students have competitions in every matter like in sports, studies and other skills or knowledge with this they work harder to compete others and be developed.

In conclusion, i think this competitions will be beneficial for people by being motivated with being focused to their goals and having such advantage to be in a developing environment(majorly in job markets) . In addition, it also improves their behavior and mind focused with others development. For example, slow runners in schools tries to cooperate more for getting better grade.

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 limited. The arguments regarding cooperation are repetitive and lack depth, relying on vague statements like 'success is in our hands'. The examples provided, such as 'slow runners in schools', are slightly confusing and do not fully support the argument about cooperation versus competition. To improve, you should focus on providing more specific, logical examples and ensuring that each paragraph fully explores the implications of the viewpoint being discussed rather than repeating the same points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'Elaborating Further' and 'In addition' are used, but the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'with this they decide', where the antecedent is ambiguous. Improving the variety and precision of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one will help improve the overall flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. There is a reliance on basic vocabulary and some repetitive phrasing, such as 'work harder' and 'competition'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural or incorrect, such as 'various of fields' instead of 'various fields' or 'compete others' instead of 'compete with others'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to professional and academic environments and focus on correct collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'this competitions will be'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'where there are various of fields where individuals hard work matters'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be highly beneficial.

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