Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-14
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)
competition plays an indispensable role in the every living organism, whether it is for animal or human. Some individuals argues that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing while, other believes that people should try to cooperate more, rather than competing each other. the essay shall discuss both the views followed by my opinion.
To commence with, competition in the school environment is paramount and it assists as well as motivate people to gain their marks in a school exams, therefore race is crucial to achieve the main aim. Likewise, competition also take place in the workplace. All employees are facing each other to gain higher level position in their job place, for instance, manager post become more competitive when all workforce wants to participate in this race. Other daily tasks also attached with the race so, it is the unavoidable part of the life.
On the other hand, some of them believes that cooperation is the best way to grow in any place. For example, If people are work together then difficult work can be easily solve in countable minutes. In addition, it also gain our knowledge through helping each other and task can be complete without wasting time and energy. For instance, in school, there are too many students learn together subsequently understanding can be better in some cases. Individuals should learn that how they can do team work.
In conclusion, i believe that both approach is beneficial for the people; however, they should be learn that, when use competition skills with each other and when coordinate with others.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the view that competition is beneficial and the view that cooperation should be prioritised, while also stating a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant, such as competition in schools and the workplace, and the benefits of teamwork for problem-solving. However, some ideas are under-developed or supported with weak generalisations, such as 'manager post become more competitive when all workforce wants to participate'. The arguments are presented clearly, but they lack the extended depth required for higher band levels. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into four paragraphs with a clear overall progression. The student uses basic cohesive devices to connect ideas, such as 'To commence with', 'Likewise', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in awkward transitions like 'Other daily tasks also attached with the race so, it is the unavoidable part of the life.' Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, but internal paragraph cohesion often feels disjointed due to grammatical errors and abrupt sentence boundaries.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'indispensable', 'paramount', and 'unavoidable'. However, there are numerous word choice, form, and collocation errors throughout the text. Examples include 'every living organism, whether it is for animal or human' instead of 'all living organisms', 'Some individuals argues' instead of 'argue', 'gain their marks' instead of 'achieve high marks', and 'difficult work can be easily solve' instead of 'solved'. These errors occasionally cause mild strain for the reader, though communication remains clear overall.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. Frequent errors are present, particularly in subject-verb agreement ('Some individuals argues', 'manager post become'), passive voice construction ('task can be complete'), and articles or prepositions ('in a school exams', 'competing each other'). Punctuation is also problematic, marked by missing capitalisation at the start of sentences and incorrect comma splices like 'when all workforce wants to participate in this race, for instance...'. These persistent errors place the writing firmly in the Band 5.0 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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