Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Of course, many people believe that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing. While, some of them object it and they feel cooperating more rather than competing with others, would create huge impact.

Firstly, competing with peers and colleagues in institutes and workplaces respectively, can make the fellow person to a competitive environment. It even helps the person to succeed in mastering many skills, without any restrictions, compared to his or her fellow.

Then, trying to cooperate more rather than competing would make the person to master a limit knowledge. This ca make the person to lead a sedentary lifestyle.

In my opinion, both the believes have pros and cons. This is because, while, competing with fellow humans can make the person to know his level of knowledge, skills and techniques. It creates a friendly and competitive environment. If it is an friendly environment, it helps in making a huge number of friends compared to enemies. However, if it been in a negative aspect, it ensures a negative environment. This can be because of envy. In such a case, it can make the people to seek revenge not only by succeeding, even by trying to spoil there.

While, trying to cooperate more, rather than competing, can make the person to restrict to a confined space. As it helps in making the person to be skilled, it makes the person to lack in exposure to the society. But compared to cooperating more rather than competing against each other has more disadvantages compared to competing with the surrounding.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides an opinion, but the development of ideas is limited and often unclear. For example, the argument that cooperation leads to a 'sedentary lifestyle' is not logically explained or supported with relevant examples. The discussion of the negative aspects of competition is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. The position is stated, but the reasoning remains superficial throughout the essay. To improve, you should focus on providing clear, logical explanations for your points and supporting them with specific, relevant examples rather than making broad, unsubstantiated claims.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is often disjointed. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Firstly', 'However', 'In my opinion'), they are sometimes used incorrectly or do not effectively link the ideas. For instance, the transition between the benefits of competition and the drawbacks of cooperation is abrupt. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of the argument. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and often repetitive, which restricts the ability to convey complex ideas. There are several instances of awkward word choices and incorrect collocations, such as 'master a limit knowledge' and 'spoil there'. The range of vocabulary is basic, and there is little attempt to use less common or more precise lexical items. To reach a higher band, you should work on expanding your vocabulary to include more academic collocations and synonyms, and pay closer attention to how words are used in context to ensure accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are consistent issues with sentence structure, such as 'make the fellow person to a competitive environment' and 'if it been in a negative aspect'. The use of articles, prepositions, and verb forms is often inaccurate. While there is an attempt to use complex sentences, these are frequently faulty, leading to confusion. Focusing on basic sentence construction and ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage would be a good starting point for improvement.

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