Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
It is widely argued that, there should be the contest among the individuals at the workplaces , institutes and in the normal routine of the life. While others concede that helping everyone is more beneficial approach. I totally agree with Work together approach.
On the one hand, advocates of the challenge tends to believe that, its better to have contest between people at organizations and at schools. In addition, it enhances their minds and enable their minds to think out of box in the critical situations rather than depending on others. For instance, competition between the students make them more independent and also sharpen their critical thinking and problem solving skills. Moreover, it also make the room for the individuals to grow and emphasizes them to work harder for their better future.
On the other hand, supporters of the team up tends to believe that, every individual doesn't have same the capabilities and strength to work against each other in contest form. For example, some students are not good in the mathematics but extraordinary in other subjects, so they didn't perform well in the competition phase. Additionally , everyone have their strengths and weakness , so its good to work together rather than try to competing everyone. Furthermore, helping others in their difficult time plays a vital role in the development of the better society.
In conclusion, according to point of view, helping everyone was good, as it also make the work productive in positive way, also broaden the horizon of individuals rather than just try to compete.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 superficial. For instance, the argument for competition mentions 'critical thinking' but does not explain how this specifically translates to workplace or school success in a nuanced way. The conclusion is also quite brief and lacks a summary of the main points discussed. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more detailed explanations and concrete examples that fully illustrate your points, ensuring that the link between your arguments and the prompt is explicit throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Additionally'. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'supporters of the team up'. Furthermore, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more naturally. The progression of ideas is logical, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs more refinement to ensure a smoother reading experience.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat limited and repetitive. You use basic terms like 'contest', 'good', and 'work together' multiple times. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'the contest among the individuals' and 'supporters of the team up', which sound unnatural. To improve, you should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and collocations. For example, instead of 'contest', consider terms like 'competitive environment' or 'rivalry'. Expanding your range of synonyms and using more sophisticated phrasing will help you achieve 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. Common issues include incorrect article usage (e.g., 'the contest', 'the normal routine of the life'), subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'advocates... tends to believe', 'everyone have their strengths'), and awkward phrasing. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage, and try to incorporate more complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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