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)

While some people argue that competition is a good thing at school, at work and in daily life, other contend that people should be cooperative toward each other rather than competing against other people. This essay will examine how competition helps people to reach their full potential and boost their performance while reflecting how excessive competition can make people overstressed and uncoordinated.

It is commonly believed that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing. As competition makes people more focused on their work, it helps them reach their full potential and boots their performance rapidly. I some-what agree with this view. In my opinion, competition helps people in their path to success by pushing them to their limits.

On the other hand, some claim that people should not compete against each other and be cooperative rather than competitive. They claim that competition makes people work harder than necessary and makes them overstressed which can cause a mental pressure in a person. I agree with this statement as well. As competitive people always wants to win, they can go to their absolute limits which can result in a mental breakdown and can cause harm to their body.

In conclusion, their should be competition among the people as it helps them in their life to become a successful and guide them throughout their life but people should always keep their health as their first priority maintaining a balanced work and enjoyment life cycle rather then winning at a cost of their own health.

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 limited. While you mention that competition helps people reach their potential and that cooperation avoids stress, these points are not supported by specific examples or detailed explanations. The response remains quite general throughout. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your arguments with concrete illustrations or logical consequences. For instance, explaining how competition in a specific workplace environment leads to innovation would strengthen your position. The conclusion effectively summarizes your stance, but the overall depth of the essay is more characteristic of a Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'While', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to signal the progression of ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally repetitive. For example, the phrase 'at work, at school and in daily life' is repeated verbatim in the introduction and the first body paragraph. Improving the variety of linking words and using pronouns or synonyms to refer back to previously mentioned concepts would improve the flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some relevant topic-specific vocabulary such as 'full potential', 'overstressed', and 'mental breakdown'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'boots their performance' (likely meant 'boosts') and 'mental pressure in a person'. Additionally, there are minor spelling errors like 'their' instead of 'there' and 'some-what'. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that your spelling is accurate, as these small errors prevent the vocabulary from being considered a 'wide range' of flexible, sophisticated language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. For example, 'As competitive people always wants to win' contains a subject-verb agreement error ('wants' should be 'want'). There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'a mental pressure' and 'maintaining a balanced work and enjoyment life cycle'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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