Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In the modern era, irrespective of the age, survival has become the most difficult task for the society. On one side, people believe that competitive environment personally and professionally helps an individual in their daily life whereas on other hand some people believe in the unity and trying to fit in an environment to avoid any conflict. In my opinion, competition plays a major role in growth and development of an individual until it does not overpower the mind negatively.

At an early age, the school incorporate various competitive sessions among students of same age groups. For instance, these activities train their mind to function under pressure and uplift themselves positively. Even in the corporate job, promotions are based on performance review. Wherein, reviews mainly focus on an indirect competition among all the employees of the company. As a result, the annual promotion is based on who outshined other employees with their performance and indulgence in the company. Moreover even in the daily life, healthy competition between siblings, families, and neighbours bring a positive mindset to grow personally and professionally to maintain a good reputation in the society.

Other side of the society believes in maintaining peace and harmony among themselves. They focus to avoiding conflicts by staying quiet even if people outshine their capabilities. They believe in peace of mind over constant growth and cut throat competition. for instance, most elderly generation pass on the idea of letting go things to ease the mind and soul irrespective of the seriousness of the situation.

In conclusion, I firmly believe in having a healthy competitive attitude during an early stage of life never disappoints, rather it brings positive mindset of self growth and development.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the benefits of competition are supported with examples from school and the workplace, the discussion on cooperation is less developed and relies on generalizations about the 'elderly generation.' To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific, balanced examples for the cooperative perspective. The conclusion is a bit abrupt and does not fully summarize the main points discussed in the body paragraphs. Overall, the task is addressed, but the depth of analysis could be improved to better support your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'For instance,' 'Moreover,' and 'In conclusion,' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where transitions could be smoother. For example, the shift between the second and third paragraphs feels abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'they' in the third paragraph, which could be more precisely linked to the group mentioned in the topic sentence. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'corporate job,' 'performance review,' and 'harmony.' There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'the school incorporate' (should be 'incorporates') and 'letting go things' (should be 'letting things go'). You also use some repetitive phrasing, such as 'outshine' and 'growth and development.' To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the school incorporate') and missing articles ('In the modern era, irrespective of the age'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'until it does not overpower the mind negatively.' Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors, such as the lowercase 'for' at the start of a sentence in the third paragraph. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring that complex sentence structures are constructed correctly.

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

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