Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-20

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 6.5)

Competition and cooperation have always been a part of the human race since the beginning of time. In an ideal world, there should be a balance of cooperation and competition because they work best together.

One of the major advantages of competition is that it gives us a chance to improve and also provides significant growth. Moreover, it fuels us and motivates us to get out of our comfort zone. For example, without competition, an employee would think he is the best and stop improving until he gets a reality check. However, competition becomes a big problem when the motive behind competition is to prove themselves and for external validation only. For example, a manager might force their employees to work hard because the other teams are doing it.

Cooperation also has equal importance from the perspective of society; since ancient times, we have been able to achieve breakthroughs because humans worked together on a common goal instead of fighting with each other. For example, many medical breakthroughs or scientific inventions exist today because people used their strengths and worked together as a group. However, cooperation without focus on healthy competition might not work best because it won't push people to give their best when cooperating with others; For example, in a college group setting one person might be too cooperative and do most of the work, whereas other people just sit and do not put in the work.

In my opinion, we should not replace either of the frameworks with the other, and both need to coexist simultaneously for a healthy functioning society, as both approaches have their own set of tradeoffs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the benefits of competition and cooperation while clearly stating a balanced position. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of medical breakthroughs and workplace dynamics. However, the development is somewhat brief. While the arguments are clear, they could be extended further to reach a higher band. The conclusion effectively synthesizes the two views, maintaining a consistent position throughout the essay. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more in-depth analysis of the implications of these concepts rather than relying on relatively short examples.

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 distinct viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'In my opinion' are used effectively to guide the reader. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the relationship between competition and cooperation is well-articulated. The use of referencing is generally clear, although some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the flow between sentences. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning with some precision. Phrases like 'external validation', 'common goal', and 'tradeoffs' demonstrate a good range. There are no significant spelling errors, and the word choice is generally appropriate for an academic context. However, the range is somewhat limited; the essay relies on fairly standard vocabulary. To achieve a higher band, you should incorporate more precise, less common lexical items or idiomatic collocations related to the topic of social dynamics and professional environments to show greater flexibility and sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are grammatically accurate, and errors are rare and do not impede communication. For instance, the use of conditional structures and subordinating conjunctions is generally correct. However, there is a lack of a wide range of complex grammatical structures. To move into the higher bands, try to incorporate a greater variety of advanced structures, such as passive voice, inversion, or more complex relative clauses, while maintaining the current level of accuracy. Punctuation is generally handled well, though there is a minor error with a semicolon usage in the third paragraph.

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

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