Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-13

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 5.5)

Some individuals think that competing

with others in various areas such as

at the workplace, at school and in day to day activities is agood thing, while others argue

that we shouldcooperate more than competing

with each other. From my perspective, both competition and cooperation are equally essential for personal as well as professional growth.

On the one hand, people compete with others to

achieve more growth in their career. Because

challenges force individuals to do more

than before which provides new information and

knowledge of a related field, and thus become

more experienced and valuable for the job placement. For instance, exams such as Loksewa is considered as one of the most

difficult test format in Nepal which selects only

around 5 to 6 candidates out of thousands of

applications for a position of a manager in Central bank

of Nepal. To achieve this, individuals have to compete with each other.

On the other hand, cooperating with others helps in

developing someone's attitude in making friends and

give a sense of belonging and togetherness by providing a friendly environment which

later assist in individuals personal growth. For

example, if a person alone has to manage

many sections of a work it consumes more time

whereas, if many people are

assigned for the same work it could

be easy for them to handle it in a proper way

and also saves time. Furthermore,

it makes the workers more experienced on one field.

In conclusion, both working against and with

each other is crucial for individuals to improve

themselves while maintaining a good relationship

with others. I strongly support this fact because

balance between competition and cooperation is very beneficial.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—competition and cooperation—and presents a clear position in the introduction stating that both are essential. Ideas are generally extended and supported, such as when the writer uses the example of the Loksewa exams in Nepal to illustrate intense competition. However, some arguments lack full depth, and the conclusion slightly shifts by supporting a 'balance' rather than directly reinforcing the initial stance on both being equally essential. Still, the core requirements of the prompt are fully met with relevant ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is structured logically with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing each viewpoint, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand,' which helps guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally a bit mechanical or repetitive, as seen with phrases like 'for this' and 'to this.' Logical progression is maintained throughout, but smoother transitions between sentences would elevate the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'professional growth,' 'job placement,' and 'sense of belonging.' There are some word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'competing with others to achieve more growth in their career' instead of career advancement, and minor typographical errors like 'agood' and 'cooperate more than competing.' Spelling is generally fine, and communication is never impeded, placing the vocabulary firmly at a solid competent level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. For instance, conditional clauses are attempted ('if a person alone has to manage...'). However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward fragment sentences, such as starting a sentence with 'Because challenges force individuals...' which lacks a main clause. Punctuation errors also occur, such as comma splices or missing commas. While these errors occasionally distract, they rarely impede overall communication.

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