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)

It's a popular belief that competition in every sector in life is beneficial for individual growth while people also tends to believe that cooperation is more important rather than competing. In my point of view, both ideas are good with some drawbacks.

Healthy competition always helps people in reaching their desired goals. If a student in school becomes second in a certain test, that pupil should have a urge in himself to become first in the next test. It is true in every scenario of life to push oneself towards his goals. To illustrate, Usain Bolt didn't come first in race in the beginning of his career. However, gradually he worked hard, had the necessary self confidence of surpassing others in race and eventually won multiple gold medals in the Olympics. Today he is regarded as a living legend whom people follow. Nevertheless, this competitive tendency also brings out some negative traits in a human being namely grudge and vanity. People who doesn't reach the top become jealous and a tendency of doing harm to others start growing. They feel the need to reach their desired goals anyhow they can. Moreover, people who reaches the top tries to belittle others. They feel a sense of pride and vanity which makes them selfish.

For this reason, people should focus more on helping others to reach their goals. Cooperation is the sole thing that made our society, without help, not a single person can lead their life to the end of his time. For instance, when a skilled worker shares his knowledge with a unskilled one, the end result is significant. The task which needs team work can be done easily then. However, if the skilled worker keeps it to himself rather than sharing his ideas, that certain work becomes more difficult to carry out. Nevertheless, if a person becomes dependent on others rather than trying solve a problem on their own, this becomes detrimental to that individual. That individual will never learn to use strategies to carry out their task and forever be dependent on the most competent ones.

That is why both cooperation and competition should be considered beneficial for us.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, such as the example of Usain Bolt to illustrate the benefits of competition. However, the development of the 'cooperation' argument is slightly less balanced, as it focuses heavily on the workplace. The position is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, ensure that the discussion of both sides is equally weighted and that the conclusion synthesizes the arguments more effectively rather than just stating they are both beneficial.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'Nevertheless', 'For instance', and 'Moreover' are used to link sentences and ideas. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical, and some transitions could be more sophisticated. For example, the transition between the negative aspects of competition and the shift to cooperation could be smoother. Overall, the information is easy to follow, and the logical structure is clear throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing for clear communication of ideas. There is an attempt to use some less common vocabulary, such as 'detrimental' and 'vanity'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'a urge' (should be 'an urge') and 'the task which needs team work' (should be 'tasks requiring teamwork'). The range is sufficient to express opinions, but more precise and varied vocabulary would be needed to reach a higher band. The errors do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there is an attempt at complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'people also tends to', 'people who doesn't', 'people who reaches'). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the message. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the control over complex structures is inconsistent. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining the use of articles and pluralization to ensure greater accuracy in more complex sentences.

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