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)
Competition or Cooperation:
The people who think that competition at work, at school, and in daily life is a good thing have a great perspective. Like when people in competition they perform well and reach at their maximum potential. They work hard with sincerity and dedication to compete their rivals. Moreover the sense of being lost from their rivals also pushed them to their maximum. They work day and night with pure dedication. Because they know they are not doing this task alone but also their rivals do the same task. So they have to give their 100 percent. That's why they work with consistency. I'd like to share a quote,"' Potential can't reach you where consistency can"'.
Know the other people who believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other also have a outstanding opinion. Since we are rivals not enemies so we have to cooperate with each other. Helping each other is also Sunnah. So we have to help other people in their work. It is a good manner to help other this will spread love and peace in the society.
As we are humans not animals so we have to show humanity by respecting and helping others.
According to my point of view, competition is a good thing it made us active and alert. But, in general, cooperation is the thing that we need in our life. Because if we work as a team. We can achieve the higher number of success than working alone.
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 clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument for competition relies on repetitive points about 'working hard' and 'sincerity' without providing concrete examples or deeper analysis. The section on cooperation is also brief and relies on personal or cultural references rather than broader societal or professional implications. To reach a higher band, you should expand your arguments with more detailed explanations and specific, illustrative examples that demonstrate a deeper understanding of the topic's complexity.
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 quite mechanical and limited. Transitions like 'Moreover' and 'Because' are used, but the flow between sentences is often disjointed. Some sentences feel like a list of points rather than a cohesive argument. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the transition 'Know the other people', which is grammatically awkward and disrupts the logical progression of the text. Improving the variety and naturalness of your linking words will significantly enhance the readability of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good thing' and 'work hard' repeatedly. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'sense of being lost from their rivals' and 'higher number of success', which are not natural English expressions. While your meaning is generally clear, the lack of more sophisticated or precise vocabulary limits your score. Try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and avoid repeating the same basic adjectives and verbs throughout the essay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'competition... it made us active'), incorrect preposition usage ('reach at their maximum potential'), and sentence fragments or run-on sentences. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the placement of commas and the use of quotation marks. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader and indicate a lack of control over complex structures. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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