Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-19

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)

Many people believe that competition is very useful fact in every field of life, such as at work, at school, and in daily life. While others argue that cooperation is more important instead of competing against each other. I firmly believe that cooperative sense is very essential for both cognitive and social growth.

Undoubttedly, sense of competition encourages work more hard to compete others. However, competition develop creativity and problem-solving skills in children. Fear of failure urges them to do work hard for success in competition. For example, in Pakistan, competition is everywhere. Competion among students, workers, and family members like siblings. Nevertheless, it can cause mental fatigue and pressure. As a result, competition promotes practical skills and build confidence.

On the other hand, some people believe that cooperate each other is beneficial for social growth. Working in groups provide support and make sense of community. Everyone share their opinions and discuss several matters together. It helps to tackle the numerous problems very efficiently. In group work, individuals learn new skills and it helps to broaden their perceptions.As a result, cooperation play a vital role in career development.

In conclusion, although competitions is very neccessary for build confidence and character strength, cooperative work brings fascinating results. I believe that cooperation is key to success. When many people work together, it is easy to solve difficult problems and make finest decisions. Cooperation in everyday life has positive impacts on society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the benefits of competition and cooperation, and clearly states a personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are generally relevant, mentioning aspects such as cognitive growth, creativity, and career development. However, the response is notably under-length, containing only 239 words against the minimum requirement of 250 words. This negatively affects the depth of development, as arguments are somewhat brief and lack extended support or specific, fully articulated examples. Consequently, the task response is constrained, warranting a band score of 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into four distinct paragraphs with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing each view, and a conclusion. Logical progression is generally visible, and the writer uses standard cohesive devices such as 'Undoubttedly', 'However', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in awkward phrasing like 'some people believe that cooperate each other'. Paragraphing is present, but the overall progression is occasionally hampered by abrupt transitions and repetitive sentence structures. Therefore, the coherence and cohesion match the Band 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to the topic, including terms like 'cognitive and social growth', 'problem-solving skills', and 'career development'. However, there are numerous noticeable errors in word formation and collocation, such as 'very useful fact' instead of factor, 'work more hard' instead of harder, 'Competion' spelling error, and 'cooperate each other' instead of cooperate with each other. While the vocabulary is adequate to convey the basic meaning, the frequency of lexical errors and limited control over less common items place this response firmly in the Band 5 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as concessive clauses using 'While' and 'although'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak throughout the text. There are frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and sentence construction, including 'competition develop' (subject-verb agreement), 'urge them to do work hard', 'Working in groups provide', and 'competitions is very neccessary for build'. Punctuation and spelling errors are also present. These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect the characteristics of a Band 5 performance.

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