Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Some people believe that its good to have competition at workplace, education institutes and in daily routine. While others argue that individuals should try to cooperate with each other, instead of competing against each other. I agree with the perspective that healthy competition is a good thing. This essay will discuss both sides before explaining why I hold this opinion.

On the one hand, people think that competition is a good thing as it encourage us to do more hard work and try to win. For instance when at school there is an activity in which different students participates, they would do hard work to win the challenge if they take it as a competition rather than just performing ordinary. Similarly, at workplace when we take different tasks as a competition, it motivates us to put extra efforts in the that particular task. It eventually will benefit the organization we are working at as well as it helps us to improve ourselves.

In addition, when there is healthy competition, people wants to put more efforts to win which helps individuals to learn from mistakes.

On the other hand, people argue that we should try to cooperate and help each other, rather than competing against each other. When we dont take a challenge as competition we are more likely to learn from our failure without getting offended. For instance in a competition if both participants compete against each other. The one who will win will feel proud and may become arrogant which can hurt the other competent. Similarly, the one who fails they might feel insecure and become stressed about their failure instead of improving them for the next time. Whereas if both cooperate and help each other without taking it too personal, it will help them to learn from their flaws without feeling underconfident.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal position. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that competition encourages hard work, the explanation is repetitive and lacks depth. The second body paragraph regarding cooperation is better developed, but the conclusion is missing entirely, which is a significant omission for a balanced discussion. To reach a higher band, ensure you provide a clear summary of your position in a concluding paragraph and extend your arguments with more specific, nuanced examples rather than repeating the same points about 'working hard' or 'feeling stressed'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Similarly', and 'In addition'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between the final paragraph and the end of the essay is abrupt due to the lack of a conclusion. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect sentences more fluidly rather than relying on simple sentence starters.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good thing', 'hard work', and 'do'. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'education institutes' (should be 'educational institutions') and 'competent' (used incorrectly to mean 'competitor'). To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise synonyms to express your ideas more effectively. Avoid repeating the same phrases throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('it encourage us', 'people wants'), missing articles ('at workplace'), and awkward phrasing ('instead of improving them for the next time'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage to improve your accuracy. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures would also help elevate your score.

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

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