Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-11

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)

Some people believe that competition in educational institutions, the workplace and daily life is a positive thing, while others oppose this idea and put a great emphasis on cooperation among individuals. I agree with the former point of view.

The proponents of this belief argue that healthy competition helps individuals to excel in their particular field and cope with failure. When people compete with their mates, they work hard to uncover their inner potential and try to surpass other people of the same caliber. For example, in offices, it helps employees to become more productive; in schools, it motivates pupils to work hard and in sports, it makes the athletes energetic and unbeatable. Also, healthy competition helps a person accept failures and work more on the areas of improvement.

On the other hand, opponents are of the view that cooperation is essential when people need to work as a team. Young children, in particular, should be to taught to cooperate with the peers and show empathy. If schools and parents put constant competitive pressure, they become more prone to develop stress and anxiety and lose confidence. Also, in office settings and daily life, aggressive competition not only leads to the development of negative feelings towards colleagues but also adversely affects a person's self-perception. That's why team members should also empower each other by working cooperatively for long-term projects. It will ultimately lead to better teamwork, shared expertise and less stress on the group as a whole.

In my opinion, while cooperation is also vital for some tasks demanding teamwork, a healthy competition is of paramount importance in day-to-day settings. It makes the people more ambitious and keen to achieve their goal. For example, if a teacher conducts neat homework competition among students, students are more likely to go the extra mile to outperform their peers.

In conclusion, a substantial number of people believe that competition is a positive thing in all areas of life and some others prioritize cooperation over competition. I believe as long as competition is healthy and motivates people, it is good.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both competition and cooperation before clearly stating a preference for competition. The ideas are relevant and well-supported with examples such as office productivity and school environments. The position is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, the development of the 'cooperation' argument could be slightly more nuanced, perhaps by acknowledging that the two concepts are not always mutually exclusive in professional settings. However, the current level of development is sufficient for a strong score as the main points are clearly articulated and logically extended.

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 theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand', 'Also', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the overall clarity of the argument. The transition between the discussion of competition and the shift to cooperation is smooth, and the writer maintains a professional tone throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally precise and appropriate for an academic context. Phrases like 'uncover their inner potential', 'same caliber', and 'paramount importance' demonstrate a good range of lexical items. There is a clear attempt to use less common vocabulary, and the collocations are mostly natural. While there are no major errors, the range could be slightly more sophisticated to reach the highest bands. The word choice is consistently accurate and contributes to the clarity of the arguments presented.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The essay displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are error-free, and the grammar is generally accurate. There is a minor slip in the third paragraph: 'should be to taught to cooperate', which is a small grammatical error. However, this does not impede communication. The use of complex structures, such as conditional sentences ('If schools and parents put constant competitive pressure...') and relative clauses, is handled well. The punctuation is also used correctly throughout the response.

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

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