Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

A considerable amount of people believes that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a great thing. Other people agree that we should attempt to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other. Furthermore, this essay will discuss both perspectives before presenting my own opinion.

To begin with, competition is beneficial in the workplace because it helps people gain better opportunities and teaches them how to achieve success. Challenges are also beneficial in school. For instance, if students participate in sports and music, they may become more focused on achieving their goals. In daily life, people face different challenges such as managing their time, solving problems and dealing with different situation. These challenges can help people become more confident, responsible and better at making decision.

Furthermore, cooperation plays a vital role in work, for instance if emplo work together it easily

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under the required word count of 250 words, reaching only 144 words. Because the essay is incomplete and cuts off mid-sentence, it fails to address all parts of the task. The discussion of the second perspective (cooperation) is barely initiated, and there is no conclusion or clear personal opinion provided. Consequently, the development of ideas is severely limited and the task is only partially addressed. To improve, you must ensure you complete all parts of the prompt, including a clear introduction, balanced body paragraphs, and a concluding summary of your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay shows a basic attempt at logical organization with an introduction and a body paragraph. However, the abrupt ending and the lack of a conclusion disrupt the overall flow. Cohesive devices are used in a limited way, such as 'To begin with' and 'Furthermore', but the incomplete nature of the final paragraph makes it difficult to assess the overall progression of ideas. Paragraphing is present, but the structure is incomplete, which hinders the logical development of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally appropriate for the topic, such as 'beneficial', 'workplace', and 'participate'. However, the range is limited and there are some errors in word form and collocation, such as 'A considerable amount of people' (should be 'number of people') and 'making decision' (should be 'making decisions'). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey basic meaning, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('A considerable amount of people believes' should be 'believe') and missing articles or pluralization errors ('dealing with different situation' should be 'situations'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall quality of the writing. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement.

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

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