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)

In today's era, each individual is working hard on a regular basis to survive in current fast-paced environment. Several citizens believe that competitiveness is beneficial in all fields whereas, rest of the population are of the view that adaptability is crucial in comparison to competition. In this essay, I will discuss both the views followed by my opinion in the upcoming paragraphs.

At the outset, there are numerous factors of being competitive at work, at school etcetera and first and foremost is it brings out the best in people as they are quite dedicated to their tasks. To explain it more, employees work hard to finish their assigned tasks before others so as to be ahead in the race of promotion and growth opportunities, besides , seeing their fellows performing better than them, motivates them to enhance their performance. For example, children feel bad when their friends receive higher marks , appreciation from teachers ,as a consequence, in future, they also try their level best to achieve better grades than their fellow mates. Moreover, in current ever-growing world, it is vital for a person to keep up with the pace of their peers in order to survive and create a place for them to attain financial stability in future.

Meanwhile, there are various reasons to be more co-operative rather than being competitive and the major one is the way teamwork can be advantageous in terms of growth. To be more precise, it is a necessity in some professions to work in groups and complete a certain task, this can be only achieved when individuals help others than being self-centred . For instance, if a task is divided as per one's expertise, it will be finished before deadline , also, it will be performed efficiently.

To recapitulate, as per my perspective, although a spirit of competition is important for survival and growth however, co-operation is also required to learn from others.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation before providing a personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, such as the example of students striving for better grades. However, the development of the opinion in the conclusion is somewhat brief and lacks the depth seen in the body paragraphs. To reach a higher band, ensure that the personal opinion is more clearly integrated throughout the essay rather than just appearing in the final summary. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments could be more extensively elaborated to fully explore the nuances of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'At the outset', 'To explain it more', and 'To recapitulate' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition in the final paragraph is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing is precise will help achieve a higher score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use less common items like 'adaptability' and 'self-centred', which is positive. However, there are some instances of slightly awkward phrasing or word choice, such as 'factors of being competitive' and 'fellow mates'. The range is sufficient but lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding informal or redundant expressions to enhance the overall academic tone of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, particularly with punctuation (e.g., unnecessary spaces before commas) and article usage (e.g., 'in current ever-growing world'). Some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'there are numerous factors of being competitive... and first and foremost is it brings out the best'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the accuracy of complex structures and refining punctuation will significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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

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