Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-07

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 6.5)

While many people debate that competition at workplaces, schools and in daily life can be beneficial, There are other people who argue that rather than competing with one another we should try to cooperate more. In my opinion, a combination of the two is the best way forward.

Humans have an innate quality of bringing their best foot forward when they are in the state of competitiveness. This behavior can push a person to become the best version of themselves. Moreover, feeling competitive can invoke a sense of an achievement in the person and can increase his creativity in work. For example, many companies in the corporate sector offer incentives to an employees who develops and presents the best idea among the group. This example explains motivation achieved through competition.

Others believe cooperation teaches us empathy for others and can improve a society by decreasing the rate of hostility among the people. This development can increase the productivity and creativity holistically in a workplace, school or daily life. However, competition done especially in workplaces or schools, can cause animosity among individuals. This practice an lead to an unwelcoming social environment and increase the rate of jealousy among colleagues and peers. For instance, many students develop hostile feelings towards their fellow class mates that are also their competitors at an early age. From my perspective, if the competition is kept healthy with some amount of cooperation, it can benefit a person and the society, more than it causes any of them any harm.

To conclude, I believe the best way forward is to keep both of these methods hand in hand. Positive developments in a society can be achieved by healthy competitions, where people can work together and make a society a better place to live in.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the benefits of competition and the merits of cooperation before providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, such as the example of corporate incentives for competition and the mention of empathy in cooperation. However, the development of the 'cooperation' argument is slightly less detailed than the 'competition' side. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively synthesizes the two viewpoints. To reach a higher band, ensure that the supporting examples are slightly more elaborated to avoid any sense of over-generalization.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different perspectives. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'For instance' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is mostly clear, though the connection between the ideas in the second paragraph could be tightened to improve the overall progression of the argument. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task and allows for some precision, such as 'innate quality', 'corporate sector', and 'holistically'. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'an employees' (should be 'employees') and 'competition done' (should be 'competition, particularly in...'). The student attempts to use less common vocabulary, which is generally successful, though there is occasional awkwardness in phrasing. The range is adequate to convey the intended meaning clearly without significant difficulty for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over basic grammar, but there are persistent minor errors, such as 'an employees' (article/pluralization error), 'an lead' (should be 'can lead'), and 'class mates that are' (should be 'classmates who are'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. The punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentence variety is sufficient to maintain interest. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and article usage to reduce the frequency of these small slips.

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