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)

Some individuals argue that competition in professional, educational, and everyday settings is a positive force, whereas others believe that greater cooperation is preferable. This essay will discuss both perspectives and explain why I believe that cooperation is generally more beneficial than competition.

There are several reasons why cooperation is advantageous. To begin with, when people work together, they can share their skills, knowledge, and diverse ideas. As a result, they can solve complex problems more efficiently. In addition, cooperation builds strong relationships and trust. For example, if employees are assigned a difficult project, they can share their thoughts and complete the task with fewer errors. Conversely, excessive competition can foster jealousy, stress, and conflict, which may have a detrimental impact on organizational harmony.

On the other hand, competition has significant merits. Firstly, it motivates individuals to work harder. For instance, students often compete for higher grades, which drives them to study diligently. Secondly, competition encourages skill improvement. In the workplace, employees may strive for promotions, thereby enhancing their professional capabilities through continuous learning. Thus, competition can drive productivity and personal growth.

In conclusion, while competition can inspire people to work harder and enhance their performance, I believe that cooperation is ultimately more beneficial. It fosters stronger bonds, builds mutual trust, and facilitates the sharing of knowledge among team members, leading to more sustainable success.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the views in favour of cooperation and competition, and clearly states the writer's own opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant and supported with explanations and examples, such as students competing for higher grades and employees sharing knowledge to solve complex problems. However, the response falls short of the minimum length requirement, containing only 224 words instead of the required 250 words. This under-length impacts the overall development and completeness of the task, resulting in a capped score for Task Achievement despite the good structure and clear position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, starting with a well-defined introduction, followed by body paragraphs discussing cooperation and competition respectively, and concluding with a concise summary. Cohesive devices are used effectively and appropriately to guide the reader, such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', 'Conversely', and 'On the other hand'. Paragraphing is also managed sufficiently and appropriately, separating distinct ideas into coherent blocks. Referencing and substitution are handled smoothly, ensuring that the relationships between ideas are clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating less common lexical items such as 'advantageous', 'detrimental impact', 'organizational harmony', and 'sustainable success'. Word choice is generally appropriate, and the intended meaning is communicated clearly throughout. There are occasional attempts at precise collocations which succeed, and spelling is accurate. While the vocabulary is not expansive enough to reach the higher bands, it is sufficient to allow for clear and flexible expression, with only minimal repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over grammatical structures such as conditional clauses ('if employees are assigned a difficult project...') and subordinate clauses ('while competition can inspire people...'). The majority of sentences are grammatically accurate, and punctuation is handled well. Errors are very rare and do not impede communication in any way. Although a wider variety of complex structures could elevate the score further, the current level of accuracy and sentence variety strongly supports a solid band score.

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