Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-15

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 people who believe that competition is a good thing, while others disagree with this statement.

In the upcoming paragraphs, I will be discussing why competition at various stages of life is a good thing .

To begin with, competition with others at work, school or in daily life makes people get out of their comfort zones. For example, two people working at a burger shop and both are employees. After some time, one employee starts his business, while the other one remains at the same position and still works as a waiter. What if now the waiter challenges himself? He may open up his own shop within the couple of years. Now this example shows that by getting out of the comfort zone, one may bring about change in his lifestyle.

Similary, when a person competes with others, it is not necessarily that he may always end up as a winner; he may has to face failures. However, this failure will be a lesson for a perosn. The lesson 'never give' cannot be understood without failing first. Furthermore, competition at school with other children enocourage students to learn more. Hence, when they grow up, they become a valuable member of a society. Therefore, competition at each stage of life motivates people to do more.

On the other hand, there is a group of people who maintain that cooperating rather than competing against each other is a good thing. They argue that competing against each other may arise emotions like jealousy and hatred. Consequently, the element of empathy can dimish from a society. Another argument put forward by them is that competition brings stress and anxiety, which is not good for an individual's mental health.

Going ahead, as far as my opinion is concerend, I believe that competition is a good thing at various stages of life as it acts a push factor in life. Similary, it is extremly important for a healthy life style as without it, it becomes difficult for people to get out of their comfort zones.

Thus, instead of viewing competition from the lens of stress and anxiety, one should see it as a driving factor in one's life.

AI examiner evaluation

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. The student provides relevant ideas, such as how competition encourages individuals to leave their comfort zones and learn from failure, and how cooperation prevents negative emotions like jealousy. However, the ideas could be extended further with more precise examples. The example of the burger shop employee is a bit simplistic and anecdotal, yet it successfully illustrates the point. The writer's position is maintained throughout the essay. Overall, the task is fulfilled adequately, corresponding to Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is coherent overall with a clear logical arrangement. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate introduction, body paragraphs discussing both sides, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'To begin with', 'Similary', 'Furthermore', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical. For example, 'Going ahead, as far as my opinion is concerend' feels somewhat awkward and repetitive since the introduction already stated the author's intent to discuss the topic. Paragraphs flow reasonably well, guiding the reader through the arguments without major confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'comfort zones', 'mental health', and 'driving factor'. However, there are several noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'Similary' (similarly), 'enocourage' (encourage), 'dimish' (diminish), 'concerend' (concerned), and 'extremly' (extremely). Additionally, some phrases are slightly unnatural, such as 'may arise emotions' instead of 'may arouse emotions' or 'may give rise to emotions'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at conditional and subordinate clauses, such as 'What if now the waiter challenges himself?' and 'when a person competes with others, it is not necessarily that he may always end up as a winner'. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues present, including 'he may has to face failures' (have to face) and 'a perosn' (a person). Control over complex structures is somewhat inconsistent, but the errors rarely impede overall communication. The frequency and nature of these mistakes fit the criteria for Band 6.0.

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