Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

It is believed by some people that competition at work, at school and in day to day activities is commendable. However, i believe that cooperation should be encouraged more than competing against each other.

Several people are of the believe that competition are good at work, schools and daily life for the following reasons. It is believed that competition encourages people to give their best in whatever they do. When people are aware that there shall be rankings or grading based on their performances, or prize to be won after a certain exercise, they tend to give in their best in order to attain the reward. For instance, when workers know that promotion is based on performance and not just duration of service, they will be more likely to give their best at work.

However, there are others who believe that cooperation should be imbibed over competition. Firstly, cooperation makes tasks easier and faster. Individuals who work together as a team would accomplish difficult task with more ease than in cases where they operate individually. Working together in workplace, schools or in daily lives foster collaboration, shared ideas and division of labor. For instance, students who work together as a group to work on a difficult topic usually get it done easier and faster than when working individually to strive for positions.

I believe that cooperation should be encouraged more than competition. Many great innovations such as the airplane was invented as a result of collaboration by the Wright brothers. Uber and Facebook are also examples of establishments that were founded by the cooperative efforts of more than just one person.

In conclusion, while there are arguments favoring competition over cooperation because it encourage individuals to give their best efforts, their are also arguments that say it should be cooperation over competition since difficult tasks are achieved faster when there is collaboration and I believe with the latter.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the benefits of competition and cooperation before providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the Wright brothers and corporate environments. However, the development of the 'competition' argument is slightly more generic compared to the 'cooperation' argument. To reach a higher band, ensure that the discussion of both sides is balanced in depth. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points while reiterating the writer's stance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Firstly', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link ideas. While the paragraphing is appropriate, some transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated to improve the flow. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional minor mechanical errors in cohesion do not impede the overall readability of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use less common items like 'imbibed', 'commendable', and 'establishments'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'of the believe' (should be 'of the belief') and 'give in their best' (should be 'give their best'). While these errors do not impede communication, they limit the score. Expanding the range of precise academic vocabulary and focusing on correct collocations would improve the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('competition are good', 'it encourage', 'their are also arguments') and minor punctuation slips. While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding the message. To improve, the writer should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly subject-verb agreement and the correct use of homophones like 'there/their'. Increasing the variety of complex structures would also help elevate the score.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.