Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-28

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)

Increasingly, the debate surrounding the widespread shift towards the competition at work, at school and daily life has gained significant attention. Although there are various perspectives on this matter, I strongly believe that encouraging the competitive spirit in people to ensure better outputs is the most pragmatic approach to adopt in modern society.

A primary justification for this view is that is significantly enhances the quality of work but also motivates individuals to perform better. Specifically, every student or employees work with the dedication to reach the top and comfortably wiz prizes and promotions. For instance, many multinational corporations in India reported a massive improvement in the production after announcing employee recognition programs and awards the best employee with promotion.

Admittedly, a noticeable decline in work-life balance cannot be ignored. This is specifically because everyone tries harder to achieve their goals which usually led to disrupt their work-life balance and cause mental issues. To illustrate this drawback, many university students in India often face extremely difficulties in spending time with their family and friends. However, provided there is sensible management this issue can be resolved. Therefore, we should still focus on encouraging the competitive spirit in people to ensure better outputs.

In conclusion, when looking at the issue of competition at work, at school and daily life, the best choice is clear. I firmly maintain that encouraging the competitive spirit in people to ensure better outputs is the most effective approach. While the concerns regarding a noticeable decline in work-life balance are valid, the long-term advantages ultimately outweigh any temporary setbacks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt by discussing both competition and cooperation and providing a clear personal opinion. Your position is consistent throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the benefits of competition in terms of productivity and the drawbacks regarding work-life balance, the arguments could be extended further with more nuanced analysis. For instance, the discussion on cooperation is largely absent, as you focus almost exclusively on competition. To reach a higher band, ensure that both sides of the argument are explored with equal depth and that your supporting examples are more detailed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'A primary justification', 'To illustrate this drawback', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the shift from the benefits of competition to the drawbacks in the third paragraph is a bit abrupt. Additionally, ensure that referencing is always precise; at times, the connection between your examples and the main argument could be more tightly integrated to improve the overall progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'pragmatic approach', 'multinational corporations', and 'noticeable decline'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation that prevent a higher score. For example, you use 'wiz prizes' (likely a typo for 'win') and 'extremely difficulties' (should be 'extreme difficulty'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do highlight a lack of precision. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring that word forms are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'is significantly enhances' (should be 'it significantly enhances'), 'employees work' (should be 'employees work' or 'employee works'), and 'awards the best employee' (should be 'awarding the best employee'). Additionally, the phrase 'which usually led to disrupt' is grammatically incorrect. While these errors rarely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and verb tense consistency.

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