Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-23

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)

Some people argue that, competition at job and at school in daily life is a beneficial thing while others prefer that we should encourage instead of challenging each other. In my opinion, i believe that, taking challenges are more productive sign like it can improve our basic weaknesses and boost our confidence.

To begin with, if we compete with each other we can know the exact weakness or what is the weakest level of our knowledge weather it in a company or in a school we can actually know our weak areas for example, a recent study found that taking challenges in a specific field can assess our weakpoints and participants know the exact level of their knowledge which is preventing them to achieve thier goals.

Furthermore, by accepting challenges in numerous ways we can have confidence to particular knowledge we can assure that it can be a positive and beneficial to overcome our fears. it can indirectly raises our confidence level that we can compete with any difficult challenges that life will give us.

for instance, in the uk a running competion was held at a school many students had taken part in it. some students are trained and some are untrained.Although, all are taken part in that race but in the end the race was won by one of the untrained student.it suggests that for winning any type of competition in life we need confidence because of it we can won many challenges that arise on daily basis.

In conclusion, for any competition that held in school or at occupation places ,i believe that, it teaches and inform us about our weak areas and it will ultimately give us a boost in our confidence level.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the benefits of competition and the alternative view of cooperation, while also stating a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the main body paragraphs heavily rely on the single idea that competition helps identify weaknesses and builds confidence, without deeply exploring the cooperative perspective requested in the task. Furthermore, the example provided about the school running competition lacks sufficient detail and relevance to thoroughly support the argument. The response meets the basic requirements of the task, earning a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Basic cohesive devices are utilised to connect sentences and paragraphs, such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and paragraph transitions are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, sentences within the body paragraphs can feel disjointed due to run-on structures and a lack of precise punctuation. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal organization within paragraphs lacks smooth progression and logical links, leading to a Band 5.5 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student displays an adequate vocabulary range to communicate ideas regarding competition and personal growth, using phrases such as 'beneficial thing', 'productive sign', and 'overcome our fears'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, incorrect word forms, and spelling mistakes throughout the text, such as 'weather' instead of 'whether', 'thier' instead of 'their', 'occupational places' instead of workplaces, and 'won' instead of 'win'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but attempts at complex sentences are frequently flawed. There are numerous grammatical errors, particularly regarding comma splices, missing articles, and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'taking challenges are more productive sign', 'some students are trained and some are untrained'). Additionally, punctuation is often neglected, leading to run-on sentences that require the reader to slow down. While meaning remains generally clear, the high frequency of grammatical inaccuracies places this response firmly at a Band 5.0.

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