Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Competition and Cooperation both are most important aspects of life. While some people believe that competition motivates individuals to achieve better results, others argue that cooperation creates a more supportive environment. I believe that healthy competition has some benefits, but cooperation is more valuable overall.

On the one hand, competition can encourage people to work harder and improve their skills. At school, students can compete with each other for better academic performance. Similarly, competition at workplace can contribute to better performance and achievements of provided targets. Furthermore, competition between companies can lead to better products, lower prices and more customer services. For example, if two sales personnels are competing to achieve the higher target then they can both meet more customers and work harder to be at first place.

On the other hand, excessive competition can create stress and weaken relationships. People who are constantly trying to outperform others may become unwilling to share knowledge or provide assistance. Cooperation, by contrast, enables individuals to exchange ideas, combine their strengths and solve problems more effectively. For instance, when students work together on a group project, one may be good at research while another may have good presentation skills, allowing them to achieve a better result collectively. Therefore, cooperation can be particularly valuable when a task requires different skills.

In my opinion, cooperation should be prioritised because it promotes teamwork, reduce unnecessary pressure and helps people achieve shared goals. Nevertheless, competition can be beneficial when it is fair and healthy.

In conclusion, although competition can motivates people and improve performance, Although the balance between two is the best choice, while cooperation playing the more significant role in schools, workplaces and everyday life.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation while clearly stating a personal position. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported with examples, such as the mention of group projects and corporate sales targets. However, the development of the argument is slightly uneven; while the benefits of competition are well-covered, the conclusion is somewhat repetitive and contains structural issues that weaken the final summary of the position. To reach a higher band, ensure that the conclusion synthesizes the arguments more effectively rather than introducing new, slightly disjointed phrasing.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. 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, the final paragraph suffers from a breakdown in cohesion; the sentence 'Although the balance between two is the best choice, while cooperation playing the more significant role' is grammatically fragmented and lacks a clear connection to the preceding sentence. Improving the flow of the concluding remarks would strengthen the overall coherence of the piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You use some good collocations like 'supportive environment,' 'outperform others,' and 'shared goals.' There are occasional minor inaccuracies, such as 'sales personnels' (personnel is an uncountable collective noun) and 'customer services' (usually 'customer service'). While you demonstrate a sufficient range to convey your meaning clearly, the vocabulary lacks the sophistication or precision required for higher bands. Incorporating more precise academic synonyms would elevate the quality of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader, such as 'competition can motivates' (subject-verb agreement) and the fragmented final sentence: 'Although the balance between two is the best choice, while cooperation playing the more significant role.' Additionally, 'competition at workplace' requires an article ('the workplace'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they indicate a need for more consistent control over complex structures and basic subject-verb agreement.

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