Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-23

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)

Every human trait in this world is a double edge sword. it can harm if used wrong or it can lift you if its well-used. Competition is one of these traits, We humans are born with this urge to compete, defeat, win. No one loves being a failure anyways but there is a thin line between good and harmful competition. For me, i have always loved competing people since i was kid, it was my drive to be better because when you share the same interests as someone else, you push each other to be better at them. For example, back to school days I used to compete with that friend about who will get the highest grade in that subject, so we used to study together and help each other and share information, we didn't take it aggressively, We competed with pure intentions of becoming better than our old selves, that's where the trick happens, we must not compete just for the sake of comparing ourselves and becoming better than other people nor let negative emotions like jealousy come between us. The right thing to do in my opinion is have both, Competition and Cooperation. We Help each other to grind and at the same time compete, set a certain goal and whoever reaches it first gets a gift, that's what an honorable competition looks like to me. Wherever you are at or whatever you are doing for life, School, work etc., you must share the same end goal with other people you are working with and cooperate together to achieve it.

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. While you mention the benefits of competition and the necessity of cooperation, the arguments remain quite personal and anecdotal. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the broader societal or professional implications of these concepts rather than relying solely on school-day memories. The structure is also slightly informal, which affects the academic tone required for this task. The conclusion is present but could be more robust in summarising the main points discussed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is written as a single large paragraph, which is a significant issue for coherence. IELTS Academic Task 2 requires clear paragraphing to separate the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. While there is a logical flow of ideas, the lack of paragraph breaks makes the text feel dense and difficult to navigate. You use some cohesive devices like 'For example' and 'at the same time', but the overall structure lacks the sophisticated signposting expected at higher bands. Improving your paragraphing strategy is essential for better readability and logical progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a reasonable range of vocabulary, such as 'double edge sword', 'urge', and 'honorable competition'. However, there are instances of informal phrasing and minor word-choice errors, such as 'competing people' (should be 'competing with people') and 'grind' (which is slang). The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and academic register required for higher scores. To improve, focus on using more formal collocations and avoiding colloquialisms that detract from the professional tone of an academic essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including punctuation issues (e.g., comma splices like 'We humans are born with this urge to compete, defeat, win') and capitalization errors (e.g., 'i' instead of 'I'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage also show occasional inconsistencies. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. Focusing on sentence boundary control and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would significantly improve your score.

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