Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-01

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)

Competition has become an essential part in corporate, school, and daily life so few individual believe that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing while other think that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other. This essay will evaluate both view before give my own perspective.

On the one hand, competition is important for individual because it improve people's ability and encourage them to work harder than before and also people who competing with each other they become more and more hardworking. For instance, many school and colleges organize different kinds of competition and most of student take a part and try to win so student who take a part in this type competition they become not only self-sufficient but also become a hardworking. As a result, people do not depended on other.

Moreover, in work place and daily life most people try to work better then their colleague and neighbor for career growth and financial benefits. To illustrate, employees may work harder to get promotion In daily life, people want to be live a respected life so that they competing with other.

On the other hand, many people believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other. This is because, many individual face social pressure. Such as, people often compare their lifestyle, salary, appearance, or achievement with their friend, colleagues, and neighbors because create expectations about success.

In conclusion, although cooperate with people is important but competition makes people hardworking and they do not face problem in their life. In future i believe that competition is augment at work place, school, and daily life because now the use of technology people are become a more creative and efficient.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument that competition makes people 'self-sufficient' is mentioned but not fully explained or supported with a concrete example. The conclusion introduces a new, slightly off-topic point regarding technology, which does not directly address the prompt's core debate. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed reasoning and ensure your conclusion focuses on summarizing your main arguments rather than introducing new ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transition between sentences within paragraphs is occasionally abrupt, and some referencing is unclear, such as 'because create expectations' which lacks a clear subject. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally into the next would enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'hardworking' and 'good thing' repeatedly. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'competition is augment' (should be 'will increase') and 'do not depended on other' (should be 'do not depend on others'). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and collocations related to the topic of competition and cooperation.

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 reader's flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'few individual believe'), missing articles, and incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'before give my own perspective'). While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic tense consistency and pluralization would significantly improve your score.

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

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