Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-04

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 individuals believe that competition at work, at school and daily life is a positive thing, while others consider that we should cooperate more, rather than conflicting with each other. In my opinion cooperation is a good thing because it is an easy way to survive in a community.

One of the main advantages of the coordination with each other is that everyone living in a society can live a comfortable life. We should try help each other at every workplace and in our daily life. At schools children should assist each other in their studies, so that every one can perform better . In a similar way at offices, colleagues should help each other to lessen the workload. We should compromise with each other to maintain the environment calm and peaceful. For example, we see in our daily routine that the local buses are very crowded, people fight with each for having a seat. Instead of arguing, they should compromise with each other, so that the bus environment remain calm.

Although competition at some places have some advantages, its disadvantages outweigh the advantages. When we start a competition with other, our performance is automatically high, because we want to become a winner. But most of the time, loser becomes a villain. For example, students at schools compete with each other to obtain high grades, but when one's get lower marks, he become a villain.

in conclusion, cooperation with each other at workplaces and in daily life is more beneficial to survive in a society rather than competing against each other.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the benefits of cooperation and the drawbacks of competition, the arguments remain at a surface level. For instance, the example of people fighting for seats on a bus is a bit simplistic for an academic essay. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'why' and 'how' of your points, perhaps discussing the psychological impact of competition in professional environments or the long-term societal benefits of collaborative learning. The position is consistent, but the depth of analysis needs to be more robust to fully satisfy the requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'One of the main advantages,' 'In a similar way,' and 'Although,' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences can feel a bit mechanical at times. Some transitions are repetitive, and the connection between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, the concluding paragraph is quite brief and does not fully synthesize the points made in the body. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'workload,' 'colleagues,' and 'community.' However, there is a lack of less common or more sophisticated vocabulary. You rely on simple phrasing, such as 'good thing' or 'positive thing,' which limits your score. There are also some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'coordination with each other' (collaboration is more precise) and 'lessen the workload' (which is acceptable but could be more academic). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you are able to communicate your ideas, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('loser becomes a villain,' 'he become a villain'), missing articles ('at schools'), and awkward phrasing ('the environment calm'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some inconsistencies with capitalization and spacing. To move up, focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and refining your use of articles and prepositions. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while ensuring they remain error-free will also help improve your score.

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

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