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)

These days some people seem to argue that competition is good. On the other hand others are of the opinion that cooperation is better. However, in this essay I will discuss both the views.

In the first place, it would be quite true to say that competition motivates people. One illustration of this is that students study harder. Another major advantage of this side of the issue seems to be that competition improves products. For instance Samsung challenges Apple.

Yet there is a dark side to the picture which advocates that competition causes stress. For instance, students feel pressure. In addition to this, the other negative element, playing a significant role may be cheating For example,employees hide information.

Whereas, according to some school of thought it can be argued that cooperation achieves more. For example, teams save lives. In addition to this there is a prevalent belief among many people that teamwork builds trust. An example that can be put forward is flood relief.

Despite these advantages and positive elements the downside cannot be overlooked as some claim that cooperation reduces effort. For instance, students freeload. In addition to this, the other element, playing a pivotal role, may be laziness. For example, unrewarded staff relax.

In conclusion, I am convinced to believe that it is indeed a debatable issue which needs further analysis and discussion. However, in the light of the above-discussed arguments and examples, it would be quite safe to conclude that the advantages of cooperation or teamwork overweigh its disadvantages in many different aspects and far outweigh rivalry.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the views that competition is good and that cooperation is better, while also providing the author's own opinion in the conclusion. The position is clear throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas tends to be somewhat superficial and relies on very brief, truncated examples such as 'For instance Samsung challenges Apple' and 'For example, teams save lives.' These points are stated rather than fully extended or explained, which places this response comfortably in the Band 6 territory. To reach a higher band, the student needs to elaborate on their supporting examples by explaining the 'how' and 'why' rather than stopping at short sentence fragments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a generally coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure separating introduction, body paragraphs on competition, body paragraphs on cooperation, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'In the first place', 'Yet there is a dark side', and 'In addition to this'. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by abrupt transitions and repetitive sentence structures at the start of paragraphs, such as 'Whereas, according to some school of thought'. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently, but logical progression between sentences within paragraphs requires smoother transitional flow to achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common lexical items such as 'pivotal role', 'prevalent belief', and 'freeload'. However, there are notable limitations and minor issues in word choice and collocation, such as 'convinced to believe' (which is awkward) and 'school of thought' singular error ('some school of thought'). The range is sufficient to communicate the main ideas clearly, but lacks the flexibility, precision, and sophistication required for Band 7. Spelling is generally accurate, but the lexical control remains at a competent Band 6 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as concessive clauses ('Whereas, according to some school of thought...') and relative clauses. There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues present, including missing articles and awkward phrasing like 'the other element, playing a pivotal role, may be laziness.' Punctuation around transitional phrases is occasionally faulty. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a Band 7. The majority of simpler sentences are accurate, but control over more complex structures is inconsistent.

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