Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-02
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)
Our society has been polarized into two sections. Although some people reckon that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing but other criticize it and concede that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other. I would discuss both the view in detail in forthcoming paragraphs.
Firstly, people think that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing because now a days students make competition in classroom to achieve a goods marks in which students do more hard work to get to top in classroom. On the other side same things also do in office work people do better in work to get prize in office for example get bonus, promotion and get some extra holidays. This things make the person toward for hardwork to get succes in our life.
Secondarly, some people think we cooperate more, rather than competing against each other because some students feel jealous and they refused to give help other for example if a student face doubt in mathmatic question he go help of classmate but they refused because they think that he achieve good marks. If we cooperate with each other we develop batter result from other section as same in office work if person cooperate with company it will more benefits to get high amount of profit with the help of people cooporation
At the end, i come to the conclusion that both these view is good for succes in life, if we feel jealous from other it more helpful to do hardwork and succes in life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion, though the development is somewhat limited. The arguments regarding competition and cooperation are relevant but lack depth and specific, well-developed examples. For instance, the explanation of why students refuse to help each other is a good starting point but remains superficial. The conclusion is slightly contradictory, as it suggests that jealousy is a positive driver for success, which undermines the earlier discussion on the benefits of cooperation. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your ideas with more detailed reasoning and ensure your position remains consistent throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'On the other side same things also do' and 'At the end, i come to the conclusion' are somewhat awkward. There is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas within and between paragraphs. While the progression of ideas is generally logical, the transitions between sentences are sometimes abrupt, making the flow feel disjointed. Improving the variety and precision of your cohesive devices will significantly enhance the readability of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good thing', 'hard work', and 'get'. There are also instances of incorrect word choice and collocation, such as 'make competition in classroom' instead of 'compete in the classroom' and 'develop batter result' instead of 'achieve better results'. Spelling errors, such as 'mathmatic' and 'succes', also occur. To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and synonyms to express your ideas more precisely, and ensure you check your spelling carefully.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('both these view is good'), missing articles ('go help of classmate'), and incorrect verb forms ('they refused to give help other'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalization. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common grammatical slips.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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