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)

some people argues that competition in any aspect of life may be beneficial while others say that cooperation is also an essential part .Although competition can encourage people to work hard but cooperation outweighs competition

on the one hand, competition can help motivate people to work hard and move forward in life. for example, in educational institutes student work hard to be at the top of list or sometimes to get a scholarship. similarly, in offices or organizations, employees competes against each other for a better position in the office however sometimes it also creates jealousy among employees which leads to bad consequences. if there was no competition students wont achieve their goals. likewise companies wont have an aim. because sometimes rivalries leads to discoveries of new technologies

on the other hand, competition can have a bad impact on the society and the people living in it . it can create stress and damage relationships as well. that is where cooperation works out.in educational settings, group projects can help students learn team work. moreover these projects help students to build good relationships and communication skills. likewise organizations completely depends on teamwork if the employee wont cooperate with each other the organization can fail. Success usually depends on teamwork and liabilities

in my opinion, cooperation is more important in every field and in daily life because it has positive impact. competition can also motivate people and help them achieve their golas but cooperation should be emphasized. if competition becomes a priority, it will give rise to alot of problems including social distress and trust issues. so cooperation is required in every field while keeping the competition moderate

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation before providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, such as the mention of scholarships and group projects. However, some points are slightly under-developed; for instance, the claim that 'success depends on liabilities' is unclear and lacks sufficient explanation. To reach a higher band, ensure that every argument is fully explained with logical links to the main topic. The position is consistent throughout the essay, which is a strength.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'on the one hand', 'similarly', and 'moreover', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly repetitive. There are also issues with punctuation, particularly missing commas after introductory phrases and inconsistent capitalization at the start of sentences (e.g., 'on the one hand', 'if there was no competition'). Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring standard punctuation would enhance the flow and coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific language like 'educational institutes', 'scholarship', and 'social distress'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as using 'liabilities' when 'collaboration' or 'synergy' was likely intended. Additionally, some basic errors in word form occur, such as 'employees competes' instead of 'employees compete'. To improve, the student should focus on collocations and ensure that the chosen words precisely convey the intended meaning in an academic context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement ('some people argues', 'employees competes'), missing articles, and punctuation errors. The use of complex structures is present but often marred by these slips. To achieve a higher band, the student needs to demonstrate more consistent control over basic grammar, particularly subject-verb agreement and sentence punctuation, while continuing to integrate complex structures more accurately.

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