Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

It is often argued that competition in the workplace, education and everyday life is beneficial, while others believe that people should cooperate with each other instead of competing. Although competition can encourage individuals to work harder, I believe that cooperation is equally important and can lead to better results in many situations.

On the one hand, competition can have several positive effects on people. Firstly, it motivates individuals to improve their performance and achieve their goals. For example, students who compete with their classmates may study harder in order to get better grades. Similarly, competition between employees can encourage them to become more productive and develop new skills. Furthermore, healthy competition can help people become more confident and ambitious, which may contribute to their future success.

On the other hand, cooperation is essential because many tasks cannot be completed successfully by one person alone. When people work together, they can share their knowledge, skills and ideas to solve problems more effectively. For instance, employees working as a team can complete a large project more efficiently than individuals working separately. Cooperation is also important in daily life because it helps people build stronger relationships and support each other during difficult situations.

In my opinion, both competition and cooperation have their own advantages, but cooperation should be given greater importance. While healthy competition can encourage people to improve themselves, excessive competition may create stress and conflict. Therefore, people should compete when it motivates them, but they should also learn to cooperate and support others.

In conclusion, competition can encourage people to work harder and achieve better results, whereas cooperation promotes teamwork and stronger relationships. I believe that a balance between the two is the best approach.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation before providing a clear personal opinion. The position is consistent throughout the essay. Ideas are relevant and supported with clear examples, such as students studying for grades and employees working on projects. To reach a higher band, the development of ideas could be more nuanced; for instance, the discussion on 'excessive competition' is a good start but could be expanded with more specific real-world consequences to demonstrate a deeper level of critical thinking.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic sentence that guides the reader. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link ideas. The progression of arguments is smooth and easy to follow. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the relationship between ideas is clear throughout the text, meeting the requirements for a well-structured response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient and appropriate for the task. The student uses a range of topic-specific terms such as 'productive', 'ambitious', 'effectively', and 'excessive competition'. While the vocabulary is accurate and conveys meaning clearly, it remains somewhat standard. To achieve a higher band, the student should incorporate more sophisticated or idiomatic collocations to demonstrate a wider, more flexible range of lexical items, moving beyond common academic vocabulary to more precise or nuanced expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a good command of grammatical structures. There is a mix of simple and complex sentences, such as the use of conditional and concessive clauses (e.g., 'While healthy competition can encourage people...'). The grammar is generally accurate, with very few errors that do not impede communication. Punctuation is used correctly throughout. To reach a higher band, the student could experiment with a greater variety of complex structures, such as inversion or more advanced passive constructions, to show higher flexibility.

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

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