Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-25

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)

Competition and Cooperation are considered as opposing forces in the field of work, education and everyday lives. While competition is credited with driving progress and cooperation is considered valuable in building relationships and collective outcomes. I believe both have their own merits, and having a balanced approach is more convenient.

Supporters of competition argue that it pushes people to give their best. For instance, in workplaces the more hard work employees put in their tasks it will lead to increase in productivity and developing skills. Likewise, in schools it forces students to put more efforts to aim high in their lives. In businesses, there is constant rivalry between different consumers to reach highest sales. Therefore, it is believed that competitiveness leads to success.

On the other hand, advocates of cooperation points out that it is considered as society's greatest achievement. It helps in building trust, fostering relationships and having a healthy environment. In work settings, it helps in team building, reducing stress and having an open space leading to more engaging surroundings. Whereas, in institutions it will help the students have better understanding and developing social skills that plays a vital role throughout the life.

In my opinion, excessive competition give rise to anxiety, stress, conflicts and unhealthy environments while a bit much of cooperation results in having less individual initiatives. The excellence in work, educational areas and daily lives involves a balance of both. Like, in sports teams compete against each other but must cooperate within to succeed in matches. As, balance brings out the best approach.

In conclusion, competition results in best individual performances while cooperation build trust within oneself. It is necessary to have stability in both to achieve maximum of the victory.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation while providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, such as the example of sports teams to illustrate the need for balance. However, some arguments are slightly under-developed; for instance, the claim about 'businesses' and 'consumers' in the second paragraph is a bit confusing and lacks clarity. The position is maintained throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. To reach a higher band, ensure that all examples are logically sound and directly support the topic sentences.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Likewise', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the use of 'As' at the start of a sentence in the fourth paragraph, which is a sentence fragment. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that every sentence connects smoothly to the previous one.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'opposing forces' and 'fostering relationships'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'a bit much of cooperation' and 'maximum of the victory', which sound unnatural. The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise and sophisticated vocabulary would be required for a higher band score. Focus on learning collocations and idiomatic expressions to improve the naturalness of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('advocates... points out', 'excessive competition give rise') and minor punctuation errors. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'the more hard work employees put in their tasks it will lead to increase in productivity'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do indicate a need for more consistent control over complex structures. Increasing the variety of error-free complex sentences will help improve this score.

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