Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-26

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 6.5)

The discussion of competition amongst peers or colleagues creates a division of opinion on whether they think it is necessary or not. This essay discusses both sides and argues why working collectively is better than competing against others.

For those who believe in competition may view it as a mere motivation to reach their highest potential. For instance, schools are often pushing their students to compete with their own peers for the highest grades or to collect as many medals as possible from other extra activities such as sport or art competition. Many see this system as a part of a healthy competition, where students put out their best effort to thrive academically.

However, competing comes with comparison. In order for us to see others as our competitor means that we have to compare our own abilities and skills with theirs. Once we have compared, then naturally we will be setting goals and standards to better ourselves. In a workplace, where assessment of our performance is not as simple as in school settings, this comparing habit may cause a high level of stress which can lead to burnouts from having to function excessively. For example, agreeing to increase our working hours to prove how capable we are compared to our co-workers often means we have less time to allow ourselves to have a break and focus on our personal life. Studies show burnout amongst professionals often starts from lack of self-care routine and tendencies to taking on significant amount of work load.

Working together with colleagues, such as sharing responsibilities, can decrease our chances of experiencing job-related stress and burnout. This essay agrees with the idea of cooperating with others as a part of allowing ourselves to slow down in life and get along better with the people in our lives.

In short, competition can be useful to have every now and then, but it is also worth a consideration that doing our own thing and trying to be better without trying to compete against each other can be a wiser option.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The essay addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal position. The ideas are relevant, particularly the discussion on the psychological impact of competition in the workplace. However, the development of the 'cooperation' side is somewhat brief compared to the 'competition' side. While the prompt is addressed, the arguments could be extended further with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The conclusion is clear, but the overall response feels slightly underdeveloped in its exploration of the benefits of cooperation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'However', and 'In short' are used effectively to guide the reader. There is a clear progression of ideas throughout the text. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated to improve the overall coherence, but the current structure is sufficient for a clear and logical argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate and generally appropriate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'burnouts', 'peers', and 'collectively'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'tendencies to taking on' (should be 'tendency to take on') and 'extra activities' (could be 'extracurricular activities'). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding the use of more academic collocations would enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'For those who believe in competition may view it' (the 'For' is unnecessary) and 'a part of a healthy competition' (should be 'part of healthy competition'). Despite these errors, the meaning is never obscured, and the punctuation is generally accurate. The student shows a good attempt at using complex structures, though control is not entirely consistent. The majority of sentences are clear and understandable.

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

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