Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Some argue that people should compete to each other at workplace, school and in daily routine. Others believe that cooperation is more beneficial compared to competition. Although competition may keep them independent. I believe that teamwork is more important because it provides productivity.

Competing with each other at everyplace helps to boost motivation. This is because if people do competition at every field, they would do hard work to win from competitors. This hard work will help them to get a better placement and get rewards after completing their job. It keeps them motivated to work hard and stay independent. For example, a employee will do a hard work to get a better placement and bounces by competing with other employees in a company. Although I believe that teamwork had more advantage compared to competition because people would complete their work faster.

cooperation may provide productivity. this is because if people work together, they could divide work and can complete their target fast

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 163 words. Consequently, the development of ideas is severely limited. While you identify both sides of the argument and state an opinion, the points are underdeveloped. For instance, the argument for competition is supported by a vague example about an 'employee' and 'bounces', which lacks clarity. The section on cooperation is extremely brief and lacks sufficient explanation or examples to fully address the prompt. To improve, you must expand each body paragraph with detailed reasoning and concrete examples to meet the length requirement and demonstrate a deeper exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay has a basic structure with an introduction and body paragraphs, but the progression is disjointed due to the lack of length and depth. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Although' and 'This is because', but they are often used mechanically or incorrectly, such as starting a sentence with 'Although I believe that teamwork had more advantage...' without a preceding clause. Paragraphing is present, but the final paragraph is incomplete and lacks a concluding summary. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and use a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally simple and repetitive. You use basic terms like 'hard work' and 'better placement' multiple times. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'compete to each other' (should be 'compete with each other') and 'bounces' (which is unclear in this context). The range of vocabulary is insufficient to express complex ideas effectively. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to work and education, and try to incorporate more precise synonyms to avoid repeating the same words throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'compete to each other', 'a employee' (should be 'an employee'), and 'teamwork had more advantage' (tense inconsistency). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some sentences starting with lowercase letters. These errors occasionally impede the flow of the text. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement, article usage, and ensuring that your sentence structures are grammatically sound before attempting more complex forms.

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

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