Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In the recent era, usually proponents have different views regarding the importance of competition and cooperation. Some people believe that competition is good at work, at school and daily life, while others argue that cooperation is more important that competition. I firmly believe that both things play an indispensable role for the success. This essay will discuss both views, before explaining my opinion.

On the one hand, it is argued that competition is crucial in daily life either at work place or at school. The primary reason for this is that competition enhances the outcomes by encouraging the employees and students to burn the midnight oil to complete their task. Moreover, it helps to create a goal in person's life, which proves beneficial to build a successful future. For instance, when students have competitors in classroom they will try to do their best to get more grades which will be good for some aspects to encourage students to work ward. In contrast, in some aspects competition also prove detrimental as it can creates jealousy factor among students. Consequently, it will ruin friendship among them.

On the other hand, cooperation is also a double-edged sword. As it is necessary to work comfortable at workplace, but if colleagues are more cooperate someone can misuse it. As a result it can create challenging situations for the cooperative colleague. Similar thing is happen in our daily life. For instance, in a joint family it is necessary to be cooperative for some extent. As in a family when siblings are cooperative and support each other mentally as well as financially at the time need, it will make a happy family. However, one can misuses the cooperation and asking for help for almost all task to save himself from doing hard work.

In conclusion, as cooperation and competition go hand in hand for a better life. But a balanced availability is needed to avoid the detrimental factors of both competition and cooperation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, though some arguments are slightly under-developed. For example, the point about competition creating jealousy is a good observation, but it could be expanded with a more specific real-world example to fully support the claim. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively synthesizes the two viewpoints. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explained with concrete examples rather than general statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main views. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'In contrast' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Similar thing is happen in our daily life'. Additionally, the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall progression of ideas. The referencing is generally clear, but the logical links between some sentences could be strengthened to achieve a more natural flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common collocations, such as 'indispensable role' and 'double-edged sword'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'work comfortable' instead of 'work comfortably', 'more cooperate' instead of 'more cooperative', and 'misuses' instead of 'misuse'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of the writing. Expanding the range of academic vocabulary and focusing on correct word forms would help improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the student attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and subject-verb agreement, such as 'competition also prove detrimental' and 'Similar thing is happen'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are minor issues with sentence structure that occasionally distract the reader. To improve, the student should focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining the use of complex structures to ensure they are error-free. The majority of the content is understandable, but the frequency of errors prevents a higher score.

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.