Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-20

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)

In the contemporary era, competition in people’s lives has emerged as a highly contentious issue, sparking considerable debate among individuals and policy makers alike. A significant proportion of individuals asserts that competition is indispensable in every aspect of life, while others vehemently contend that it is redundant and potentially detrimental. This essay aims to critically examine both views. From my perspective, although each argument carries a degree of validity, I firmly believe that although competition is beneficial but co-operation represents the most compelling and pragmatic viewpoint.

On the one hand, a significant proportion of individuals advocates that competition contributed significantly in people’s lives in terms of motivation and improvement. When individuals tend to be remained superior in their education, employment and social and personal tasks, this in turn, enables them to enhance their work efficiency and attain superior outcomes. Furthermore, this facilitates individuals to work harder and cultivate their dream achievements with greater productivity.

For instance, when students tend to learn more efficiently and studied hard than others, they may better able to secure higher grades than others. This example, vividly illustrates that how competition exerts positive impact on students’ academic development.

On the other hand, a contrasting school of thought posits that co-operation plays a pivotal role in personal and social development, additionally develop better practical skills. Moreover, people can share their ideas, skills and knowledge when they work together. Advocates of this perspective maintain without co-operation people are unable to perform effectively and may encounter substantial difficulties to solve complex problems.

For instance, people from different departments can work on a project and drive substantial benefits for company with enhanced and well-organized ideas for project in the form of team work. This example, clearly demonstrates that how co-operation can yield significant number of benefits for employees and business.

In conclusion, although competition has remarkable benefits for individuals, in terms of encouragement and hard work, while co-operation is far more prominent than this. It not only enables them to attain superior outcomes also enhance work efficiency.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views (competition and cooperation) and providing a clear personal opinion. The introduction states the writer's stance, and both body paragraphs present relevant arguments supported by examples. However, some ideas are slightly repetitive or under-developed. For instance, the example about students learning more efficiently to secure higher grades is somewhat generic. While the position is clear throughout, the development of ideas could be extended further with more sophisticated examples to meet the higher band descriptors. Overall, the task is successfully fulfilled with a clear structure.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is coherent overall with a logical arrangement of ideas, moving from an introduction to two body paragraphs discussing opposing views, followed by a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate each main point. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in awkward transitions like 'This example, vividly illustrates that how competition...' and minor issues with sentence connectivity. Overall progression is clear, but cohesion lacks the flexibility required for higher bands.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'contentious', 'indispensable', 'pragmatic', and 'pivotal'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'cultivate their dream achievements', 'developed better practical skills', and 'drive substantial benefits for company'. Furthermore, there is a minor error in word form ('co-operation plays a pivotal role... additionally develop better practical skills'). Despite these limitations, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambition in sentence structure. However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text. Notable issues include a redundant conjunction in the thesis statement ('I firmly believe that although competition is beneficial but co-operation represents...'), subject-verb agreement issues, and awkward dependent clauses such as 'This example, vividly illustrates that how competition exerts positive impact...'. Punctuation errors, such as unnecessary commas separating subjects and verbs, also occur frequently. These errors do not impede overall communication, but they restrict the score to a Band 6.

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