Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-12
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 5.0)
In recent years, this is an often debated topic: whether the effect of competition in real life is good or not. Many believe that this has a remarkable outcome, while some argued that it has a negative impact. However, both arguments are discussed in this essay till the conclusion.
According to many, competition plays a vital role in everyone's life, because if there is a competition to complete tasks then you stayed focused, determined and hard work till you achieve your goals . For instance, A medical student who work hard for MDCAT but didn't think that he or she has to beat every hurdle to achieve their aim and has to defeat other students to achieve the required merit , then they remains dishearted and never fulfil their dreams. Morever, competition has a significant importance in real life to come true their dreams.
On the other hand, Most of the people thought that the competition in every field causes diverse effects, like loss of confidence. the reason is that, they believe that if a person did his best to complete task but by fortune, he do not completed his assigned work due to anyreason then he feels dishearted . for example, a student who do his best to study hard but do not score the best then he feels demotivated and loss his self confidence. So, if we show cooperation with each other we get motivation or never loss self confidence.
in my opinion, both arguments are right as competition plays important role to achieve your aim while cooperation is also required for s
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the views in favour of competition and those in favour of cooperation, while also attempting to provide a personal opinion. However, the essay is incomplete, trailing off at the end ("while cooperation is also required for s"). The ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of a medical student preparing for the MDCAT, but some arguments are underdeveloped or repetitive. For instance, the discussion on how competition brings about focus is mirrored by the idea that cooperation prevents a loss of confidence. Because the essay is truncated and the conclusion is missing, the development of the position is limited, placing this performance in the Band 5.0 range.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, which helps establish a basic structure reflecting an introduction, body paragraphs, and a truncated conclusion. However, logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and abrupt transitions. Cohesive devices are used, such as "In recent years", "According to many", and "On the other hand", but referencing is occasionally unclear or awkward, as seen in sentences like "the reason is that, they believe that...". Furthermore, punctuation and capitalization errors (e.g., lower-case letters at the start of sentences like "in my opinion") disrupt the flow. Because the text breaks off prematurely, overall cohesion cannot be fully established, making Band 5.0 the most appropriate descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts to use a range of vocabulary relevant to the topic, including words like "determined", "dishearted" (misspelled), "demotivated", and "cooperation". However, there are frequent lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as "remarkable outcome" instead of positive effect, and "loss his self confidence" instead of losing self-confidence. Spelling mistakes are also noticeable throughout the text (e.g., "Morever", "dishearted"). The vocabulary is minimally adequate for communicating basic ideas, but inaccuracies in word formation and collocation cause some difficulty for the reader, aligning with the criteria for Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ("if there is a competition to complete tasks then you stayed focused..."). However, control over grammar is weak, with frequent errors in tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and clause structure. Examples include "A medical student who work hard... but didn't think... and has to defeat" and "a student who do his best... but do not score". Punctuation is also problematic, with incorrect comma splices and lower-case beginnings for sentences. These frequent errors cause strain for the reader, though the meaning is generally retrievable, which warrants a Band 5.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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