Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-16

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 7.5)

Competition and cooperation are two fundamental aspects of human interaction, particularly in education, employment and everyday life. While some people argue that competition motivates individuals to achieve greater success, others believe that cooperation is more beneficial for both individuals and society. This essay will discuss both perspectives before explaining why I believe a balance between the two is most effective.

On the one hand, competition can be a powerful source of motivation. When individuals compete with one another, they are often encouraged to work harder, develop their abilities and set higher goals. In schools, for example, students may put greater effort into their studies when they know that their performance will be compared with that of their classmates. Similarly, competition in the workplace can encourage employees to improve their productivity and acquire new skills, which may ultimately benefit the organisation as a whole. Moreover, experiencing competition from an early age can help people develop resilience and learn how to deal with both success and failure.

On the other hand, excessive competition can create unnecessary pressure and undermine relationships. In highly competitive environments, people may become more concerned with defeating others than with achieving shared objectives. This can lead to stress, jealousy and even unethical behaviour. Cooperation, by contrast, allows people to combine their knowledge, skills and resources in order to achieve outcomes that might be difficult to accomplish individually. For instance, group projects at school can teach students how to communicate, divide responsibilities and solve problems collectively. In the workplace, employees from different departments can collaborate to develop innovative products by contributing different areas of expertise.

In my view, cooperation should be encouraged more strongly, although healthy competition still has an important role to play. Competition is valuable when it inspires people to improve themselves rather than simply outperform others. However, cooperation is essential for building trust, maintaining positive relationships and addressing complex problems that require collective effort. Therefore, the most productive environment is one in which individuals compete with themselves to improve while cooperating with others to achieve common goals.

In conclusion, competition can encourage ambition, productivity and personal development, whereas cooperation promotes teamwork, shared knowledge and stronger relationships. Although both have advantages, I believe that cooperation should form the foundation of schools, workplaces and communities, with competition used in a constructive and controlled manner.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the views that competition is good and that cooperation should be preferred, while also clearly presenting and supporting the writer's own opinion. The position is well-developed throughout the essay. For example, in the second paragraph, the writer explains how competition motivates individuals in schools and workplaces by helping them develop resilience and new skills. The third paragraph effectively explores the opposite perspective, highlighting how excessive competition can cause stress while cooperation enables people to combine resources to achieve complex goals, such as through group projects or inter-departmental collaboration. The conclusion synthesises these points nicely, arguing for a balanced approach where cooperation forms the foundation while controlled competition inspires personal improvement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

Ideas are logically sequenced and progress naturally from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. The essay features clear paragraphing, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt. Cohesive devices are managed very well without feeling mechanical. For instance, the transition between paragraphs is smooth, utilizing phrases like 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'In my view,' which effectively guide the reader through the argumentation. Pronoun referencing and substitution are handled accurately, ensuring that the relationships between ideas remain transparent and easy to follow from the beginning to the end of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The writer demonstrates a wide, fluent, and flexible range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task. Less common lexical items are used skilfully and with good awareness of collocation, such as 'fundamental aspects', 'undermine relationships', 'unethical behaviour', and 'complex problems that require collective effort'. Word choices are precise, and there are virtually no inaccuracies in spelling or word formation. The student successfully avoids overly repetitive phrasing by employing synonyms and thematic vocabulary related to education, employment, and interpersonal dynamics, which elevates the overall sophistication of the piece.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The response exhibits a wide range of complex grammatical structures used with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of sentences are error-free, and the writer demonstrates strong control over subordination, conditional clauses, and participial phrases (e.g., 'When individuals compete with one another, they are often encouraged...', 'allowing people to combine their knowledge...'). Punctuation is used correctly throughout to structure complex thoughts. While there are very occasional minor slips, they are non-systematic and do not impede communication in any way, fully satisfying the requirements for an upper-tier grammar score.

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