Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-24

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)

Several indiviuals have a perspective that competition at various places like work, school or in daily life is a good thing. Other people have an opinion in the favour of cooperation rather than competetion. Both the views are correct from the perspective of person to person.

As per my opinion both have their own benefits if used in good manner. First and foremost the competetion, it can be used as a motivation to work or study harder and competetion has a lots of more benefits. For instance- a student studying in 11th grade and he has decided to compete the topper girl of his class, then he studies a lot more than before then topped the class leaving her behind. This is a better way of extracting the profit from the competetion.

Furthermore, the cooperation between indiviudals, it is also an important factor which we use in our daily lives. Cooperation can sometimes be more important than the competition. For instance- an office worker is stuck at a particular point and he is in need of help, then his colleagues should cooperate with him and should help him, this also proves humanity. Cooperation in daily life is also important as, all things can not be done as we want it to be so we have to cooperate with others or with the situation.

In conclusion, it can be said that competition and cooperation can not be at a same place or same time, and everybody have their different opinions about the better option as per them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion, meeting the basic requirements of the task. However, the development of ideas is quite limited. The example of the student in 11th grade is somewhat simplistic, and the discussion on cooperation lacks depth, relying on a single, brief scenario. To achieve a higher band, you need to extend your arguments with more detailed reasoning and broader examples. The conclusion is also quite weak, as it merely states that people have different opinions rather than summarising the main points discussed in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, the phrases 'First and foremost' and 'Furthermore' are used, but the internal flow within paragraphs is often disjointed. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the sentence 'all things can not be done as we want it to be', which lacks a clear connection to the preceding argument. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would significantly improve the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several spelling errors, such as 'indiviuals' and 'competetion' (repeatedly misspelled). You rely on basic vocabulary, such as 'good thing' and 'important factor', which limits your ability to express more nuanced ideas. To improve, you should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensure you are spelling common words correctly. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your meaning, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility needed for a higher score.

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. For instance, 'both the views are correct from the perspective of person to person' is awkward, and 'all things can not be done as we want it to be' is grammatically incorrect. There are also issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and refining your use of complex sentence structures.

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

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