Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-05

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)

Different people believe that rivalry at workplace, at institute and in everyday life is a great act. Others believe that we should try to interact more ,rather then make rivalry against each other. Both of the perception has its own benefits and drawbacks. I stand with the first side that people suggest that healthy competition is best at any place like work school and in daily life.

On the one hand, many of people assume that contest is a best thing in any of the stage. As of, if you make a atmosphere of rivalry in work place or school its get better effects on performance of individuals. For instance, I was doing a teaching job in a college in my home town. I create a environment of competition among students of same class. I tell them that if any body get good grades in test i will give them a handsome amount consequently, every student work hard to get good grades. Nevertheless, its genuinely effects the performance of the students.

On the other hand, some people consider that we should try to cooperate more. This suggestion is also good in some ways like if we have interacting and have some discussion in work place or school. Its can also give fruitful results. Such as, my friend work in a office he told me that in our office there is a atmosphere of sharing things had good discussion so its gave us very good results in our work place.

According to my perception, competition is a healthy activity among workers, students and even in daily life.

Its give good results and every one gives their best fulfillment for seeking of good name in work or class.

To sum up, many citizens have different assumptions related to competition. One of them go with its good activity but some of them think we should discuss more to get good results. From my point of view its good if competition is happening on any stage of life.

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 provide a personal example regarding teaching, the explanation of why competition is beneficial remains superficial. The counter-argument regarding cooperation is also brief and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'why' and 'how' behind these concepts rather than just stating that they produce 'good results'. The position is consistent, but the supporting arguments need more analytical weight to fully satisfy the requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'To sum up' to signal shifts in the argument. However, the transitions between sentences within paragraphs are sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the frequent use of 'Its' to start sentences creates a choppy flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'this', 'these') is used more precisely would help the essay flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'good results', 'good things', and 'good grades'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'make a atmosphere' (create an atmosphere) and 'great act' (which does not fit the context of competition). To improve, focus on using more sophisticated synonyms and collocations that demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary, such as 'foster a competitive environment' or 'collaborative approach'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Both of the perception has'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'every student work hard'), and misuse of articles and prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be highly beneficial.

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.