Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Some people believe that competing with others at work, school and in daily life has many benefits, while others think that cooperation is more important than competition. This essay will discuss both views and give my opinion.

On the one hand, competition can motivate people to work harder and improve their skills. When people compete with others, they often set higher goals for themselves and try to perform better. For example, in sports, athletes compete with each other, which encourages them to practise regularly and improve their skills. Similarly, competition between companies can make them provide better products and services to attract customers.

Therefore, healthy competition can encourage people to improve themselves and achieve their goals. On the other hand, cooperation is also important because working together can help people achieve common goals. People can share their knowledge, skills and ideas with each other, which can make difficult tasks easier. For example, employees can cooperate on a project by sharing their ideas and skills, which can help them solve problems more effectively. In daily life, neighbours can also work together to keep their area clean and safe.

Moreover, cooperation can reduce unnecessary conflicts and help people build stronger relationships.

In my opinion, although competition has some advantages, cooperation is more beneficial in many situations. People can achieve better results when they support each other and work towards a common goal. However, healthy competition can also be useful because it encourages people to improve their abilities and achieve higher standards. Therefore, I believe that people should cooperate whenever possible while maintaining healthy competition in areas where it can bring positive results

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation before providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as athletes in sports and employees on projects. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat brief. While the position is clear, the essay could be improved by exploring the nuances of the topic more deeply, perhaps by discussing specific contexts where one is clearly superior to the other. The conclusion effectively synthesizes the two views, but the overall depth of the arguments remains at a functional level rather than a fully extended one.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Similarly', 'Therefore', and 'Moreover' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the flow of information is smooth. There is no evidence of mechanical or faulty cohesion, and the referencing is clear throughout the text, contributing to a coherent and well-structured response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient and appropriate for the task. The student uses a range of topic-specific terms such as 'motivate', 'attract customers', 'common goals', and 'unnecessary conflicts'. While the vocabulary is accurate and allows for clear communication, it lacks the 'less common' or 'sophisticated' lexical items that would elevate the score to the 8.0 or 9.0 level. The word choice is generally precise, and there are no spelling or collocation errors that impede meaning. The range is adequate for the task but remains somewhat standard.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a good control of grammar with a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. For instance, the use of conditional and relative clauses ('When people compete...', '...which can help them...') shows a good grasp of complex forms. The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is used correctly throughout. While the grammatical range is solid, it does not consistently display the 'wide range' of complex structures required for the highest bands. However, the accuracy is high, and there are no significant errors that cause difficulty for the reader.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.