Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Competition is a common part of modern life. Some people believe that it motivates individuals to perform better, while others think cooperation is more beneficial. This essay will discuss both views and explain why I believe cooperation is more important, although healthy competition can also be useful.

On the one hand, competition can encourage people to work harder and achieve their goals. At school, students may study more seriously when they compete for high grades. Similarly, competition between employees can increase productivity and encourage companies to improve their services. For example, businesses often compete to provide better products at lower prices, which can benefit customers. Therefore, a reasonable level of competition can motivate people and promote progress.

On the other hand, excessive competition can create stress and damage relationships. When people focus only on defeating others, they may become selfish and unwilling to share knowledge or help their colleagues. Cooperation, in contrast, allows people to combine their skills and solve problems more effectively. For instance, students working together on a group project can share different ideas and learn from one another.

In my opinion, cooperation should be given greater importance in daily life, education and employment. Nevertheless, competition is useful when it remains healthy and does not create unnecessary pressure. The best approach is to improve our own performance while cooperating with others.

In conclusion, competition can motivate individuals and improve performance, but cooperation creates stronger relationships and often produces better results. A balance between the two is the most effective approach.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the view that competition is beneficial and the view that cooperation is preferable. The student establishes a clear position in the introduction and maintains it throughout the essay, concluding that while healthy competition motivates people, cooperation is ultimately more important. Ideas are well supported with relevant examples, such as students competing for grades and businesses providing better products at lower prices, as well as students working together on group projects. The main ideas are sufficiently extended, meeting the requirements for a Band 7 performance under this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are coherently structured, with each paragraph having a clear central topic. The introduction outlines the essay's direction, followed by body paragraphs dedicated to competition and cooperation respectively. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader through the arguments, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Similarly', and 'In contrast'. Paragraphing is managed logically and appropriately, satisfying the standards for a Band 7 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic essay on this topic. Words and phrases such as 'motivates individuals', 'perform better', 'increase productivity', 'excessive competition', and 'combine their skills' are used naturally and accurately. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary items like 'unwilling to share knowledge' and 'promote progress', though the range of truly sophisticated or uncommon lexical items remains somewhat restricted. Spelling and word choice are accurate throughout, ensuring that communication is never impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer successfully employs subordinate clauses and conditional phrasing, such as 'while others think cooperation is more beneficial' and 'when people focus only on defeating others'. Grammatical accuracy is generally high, with a large number of error-free sentences demonstrating good control of punctuation and tense consistency. While the structural range is somewhat standard rather than remarkably wide, the control over the grammar used is strong and consistent, fitting comfortably into the Band 7 category.

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