Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Some individuals believe that competition at employment, at education sector and in daily life is a fabulous thing. However, some argued that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other.

To commence with, many persons considered that competition at employment, education sector and neighborhood is a excellent activity because they thought that completion with someone they gain early promotion or obtain the higher grades in education. Moreover, if you live in a apartment style community where predominantly citizens believe that they brought upgrade model of car first rather than their neighbor. Consequently, there are several examples are in our job sector in multiple corporations or education sectors or middle class society has creates a substantial role in this competition.

Furthermore, many argued that its builds various challenges for individuals work in a same business, industry or live in a same society or apartment due to competition your behavior is rude with your neighbors or your classmates. Therefore, it creates dissimilar challenges regarding persons. From my perspective, I strongly agree with the first notion due to fact that if you are a university scholar thus, competition is extremely significant for your high position.

In conclusion, many believed that competition is viable due to these reasons however, others against the notion like build a friendly behavior around your circle. Still, my opinion is with first statement competition enhance your abilities or build more confidence rather than your competents in addition to this, feel yourself every movement you are in competition which boosts your confidents to work more or learn more.

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 limited. The arguments regarding competition in the workplace and education are repetitive and lack specific, well-supported examples. The explanation of why cooperation might be better is underdeveloped, focusing mostly on the negative social consequences of competition rather than the benefits of cooperation itself. To improve, you should aim to provide more detailed explanations and concrete examples for each perspective, ensuring that your reasoning is fully explored rather than just stated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the transition 'Consequently, there are several examples are in our job sector' is grammatically awkward and does not effectively link the ideas. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and phrases more naturally to connect your ideas and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. You frequently use basic terms like 'fabulous thing', 'excellent activity', and 'various challenges'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'at employment' instead of 'in the workplace' and 'university scholar' instead of 'university student'. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary and collocations to express your ideas more naturally and accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'many persons considered', 'society has creates'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'feel yourself every movement you are in competition'). Punctuation is also inconsistent. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your sentence structures are grammatically sound.

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.