Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-22

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 today's world cooperation or competition both play significant roles in every aspect of professional fields. Some people believe that competition motivates them to work harder which helps them to generate better results while others think that working as a team produces superior outcomes with less effort. As far as this contentious topic is concerned, I'm more inclined towards cooperation because it is beneficial for both individuals and society.

The proponents of competition believe that it ignites the fire in them to work harder than everyone else. For instance, there is always a healthy competition between students because of their academics Every student works harder to score better marks than their class fellows; the same thing in professional fields every employee puts efforts to get promotion over another employee. It is a really good thing if you look at mobile companies, they try new innovations to surge in the market with their rival companies which automatically results in favor of the public they get to use new technologies which are really beneficial for their daily life like GPS, AI etc.

On the other hand, people believe that working as a team is more beneficial because it saves time and effort both and produces often better outcomes. Every task cannot be achieved individually; requires teamwork. For example, companies nowadays assign tasks to a team rather than each person individually. If we look at the time of COVID-19 pandemic whole world was collapsed, so scientists from different parts of the world work together to overcome the COVID-19 in which they succeeded.

In conclusion, cooperation and competition both have their own advantages and disadvantages. But I believe that cooperation is ultimately more valuable. By combining knowledge, resources and diverse perspectives, people are able to solve complex problems more effectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the views on competition and cooperation, and clearly states the writer's own opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as mobile companies innovating and scientists collaborating during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some arguments tend to over-generalise or remain slightly under-developed, particularly the explanation of academic competition and how daily life competition operates. The position is maintained clearly throughout the essay, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0. Given the solid coverage of both perspectives and the clear personal stance, a band score of 6.5 is appropriate here.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, two body paragraphs discussing opposing views, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'On the other hand' and 'In conclusion', though referencing and transitions can occasionally feel mechanical or abrupt (for instance, the transition in the second paragraph 'the same thing in professional fields'). There is a clear logical progression overall, but some sentences lack smooth connective tissue, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'contentious topic', 'proponents', 'innovations', and 'perspectives'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but occasional inaccuracies occur in word choice and collocation, such as 'surge in the market with their rival companies' instead of 'surpass' or 'compete with', and 'whole world was collapsed' instead of 'collapsed'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over clause structures through conditional and relative clauses. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, such as missing subject-pronouns or articles ('Every task cannot be achieved individually; requires teamwork') and awkward phrasing ('scientists from different parts of the world work together'). These errors do not impede overall communication, but they occur with enough frequency to prevent the essay from reaching Band 7. Therefore, a band score of 6.0 reflects this control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.