Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

It is frequently claimed that competition in daily life, whether at school or work, is encouraging, whereas some believe that simply to comply and collaborate rather than constant competition is much more preferable. This essay will explore and discuss both perspectives before providing my own opinion.

On the one hand, competition is essentially the root cause of success, at least most people. It is a mechanism that pushes people to perform exceptionally well at several instances such as work or school. Performing well at either one of these contexts would result in tangible benefits such as increased recognition, respect at workplace and great opportunities. For example, if an employee had perpetual competition against his colleagues at the workplace, there are high chances that they would consequently win more relations, opportunities, negotiations and projects.

On the other hand, although compeition is strongly needed in daily life, it can also introduce several drawbacks. Competition essentially drives the urge to succeed, however through pure cooperation and support to each other at a professional workspace or generally, it is peaceful for all parties involved, and also often has smooth sailing. People following this often result in a better mental health condition as there is no additional competition pressure. Furthermore, the idea of compeition can possibly result in small scale conflicts in daily life, due to losing or feeling lost against someone, which is essentially a significant negative influence on the person's health and reputation. For example, if a student in middle school gets lower exam percentage than his peer, it could seed into a disrupted friendship and also mold their nature into chaotic.

In conclusion, there are several disadvantages of competition through general daily life, such as, weakened mental health, increased unnecessary conflicts, disrupted relationships, accidental reputational loss etc. However, I strongly believe that having competition to outperform others is a great approach to success.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the benefits of competition are mentioned, the explanation of 'winning more relations' is vague and lacks logical clarity. The discussion on cooperation is better supported with references to mental health and conflict, but the conclusion feels slightly disconnected from the body paragraphs, as it introduces the opinion abruptly without fully synthesizing the previous points. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explained with concrete reasoning rather than general assertions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to guide the reader through the argument. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical, and some transitions between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the transition from discussing mental health to the example of the middle school student is a bit abrupt. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at more sophisticated phrasing like 'tangential benefits' and 'perpetual competition.' However, there are several instances of awkward collocation and word choice, such as 'win more relations' and 'mold their nature into chaotic.' These errors do not impede communication but indicate a lack of precision. To improve, focus on learning common collocations in academic contexts and ensure that words are used in their correct idiomatic sense.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'simply to comply and collaborate... is much more preferable' (which is clunky) and 'gets lower exam percentage' (missing an article). Additionally, the phrase 'at least most people' is grammatically incomplete. While the meaning remains clear throughout, the frequency of these minor errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly enhance the score.

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

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