Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-21

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)

In my opinion competition at work, at school and in daily is a good thing only if it is done by not being harmful to anyone around you or even for yourself. According to my personal experience if you challenge yourself and put your self in a competition to acheive anything you will surely see your self putting extra efforts and pushing yourself to stay focused and motivated.

In this scenario you are just being your own opponent by telling yourself that you are competing your self from people around you who you feel are better than you in anyway. I think we should now trust and develop self beleif in us, because if we do that we can become competitive but not for others for our own selves. And I strongly believe in this thing that you yourself is your main opponent or your main competitor because a human has the power to do anything he/she wants to do. So comparing yourself with anyone around you is wrong but challenging yourself in a way to become someone better for your own self is completely fine and should be acknowledged by everyone in this world.

I believe that people when compare themselves to others they actually loose their own spark and they never get to know about this but this is what actually happens because they never become able to think that its about them they keep thinking about how far the other person is going or how best the other person's life is despite of knowing the other person's struggles and knowing that their struggle is different than yours. So simply it should be you to who you have to compete no other than that and there should be no comparison in your life only self belief.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the benefits of competition and cooperation, though it focuses heavily on the concept of 'self-competition' rather than the broader societal or educational implications of cooperation. While you clearly state your opinion that self-improvement is superior to external competition, the discussion of the 'cooperation' side of the prompt is largely missing. To reach a higher band, you must provide a balanced discussion that explores why some people advocate for cooperation in schools and workplaces, rather than focusing exclusively on your personal philosophy of self-competition. The ideas are relevant but remain somewhat narrow in scope.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into three paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the second and third paragraphs where the concept of 'competing with oneself' is restated multiple times without significant development. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often basic or slightly misused, such as 'In this scenario' or 'So simply it should be'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making the flow feel a bit mechanical. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph introduces a distinct, new point would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on common words like 'good', 'better', and 'wrong'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'competing your self from people' and 'despite of knowing'. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'collaborative environments', 'intrinsic motivation', or 'detrimental effects'. The current range is sufficient to communicate your meaning, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility or precision needed for a band 7 or above.

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 the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'people when compare themselves'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'I strongly believe in this thing that you yourself is your main opponent'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and sentence structure would be highly beneficial.

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

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