Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

There are some people who argue that it is a good thing to have competition at work, at school and in daily life, whereas, others think that cooperation is more important than competing against one another. I strongly agree with the latter statement.

Human beings are competitive by nature. From the very start of the life journey, they are fighting with other species and even their own species for surviving. Even now, we can observe competition in every spares of our lives, starting from schools, colleges, job sectors and many more. Competition keeps up the mobility of a place and encouragement between the participated parties which is definitely appreciable. The little children who are sent out for education in schools, come across the concept of competition where the best students secure top positions and highly rewarded. As a result, they find the urge to study attentively and perform better in the examinations.

However, there are two sides of a coin. Competitiveness is good on one side but horrible when it becomes unhealthy. The thirst for securing top position may derail the children to become selfish and uncooperative. Such unhealthy environment can also be found in some work places where colleagues become enemy to each other in order to earn promotion and increment which is given to a certain number of people only. In Bangladesh, a renowned software company faces such toxic environment before every annual evaluation. All these circumstances can be avoided if people cooperate one another instead of fighting.

Even though competition is required in every aspects of our lives in order to encourage people in doing better, the negativities that come out of it outweigh all the goodness. As a result, people should come forward to help one another, rather than prioritizing selfish motives to stay advanced in the competitions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt by discussing both the benefits of competition and the advantages of cooperation, while clearly stating your own position. Your ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, particularly in the second and third paragraphs. However, the development of the 'cooperation' side of the argument is slightly less detailed than the 'competition' side. To reach a higher band, ensure that your own opinion is integrated more thoroughly into the body paragraphs rather than just stated in the introduction and conclusion. Overall, you have provided a clear, consistent argument that directly responds to the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central focus, and you use transition signals such as 'However' and 'Even though' to connect your thoughts. While the structure is sound, some cohesive devices are used in a slightly mechanical or repetitive way. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother to better highlight the contrast between the two viewpoints. Additionally, ensure that referencing (e.g., 'such circumstances') is always precise to avoid any ambiguity. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the flow of information is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'mobility', 'derail', and 'toxic environment' effectively. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'spares of our lives' (should be 'spheres') and 'cooperate one another' (should be 'cooperate with one another'). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, these occasional errors and slightly awkward collocations prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on refining your use of collocations and ensuring that word forms are used correctly in context. Your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is a positive feature. However, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'highly rewarded' (should be 'are highly rewarded'), 'every aspects' (should be 'every aspect'), and 'cooperate one another' (missing preposition). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede the reader's understanding of your argument. To achieve a higher band, you should aim for more error-free sentences and pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions. Your control of punctuation is generally good, supporting the clarity of your writing.

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.