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 work place, at school, and aldo in daily life tasks is a beneficial thing. Others individuals beleive that we should try to cooperate more, instead of competing against eachother. I beleive that, competition is beneficial thing because its encourage to people work hard and achieve their golas.

On the one hand, there are several reasons why some people argue that cometition is beneficial because compitition in workplace, education, and in daily life situations is encourage to individuals to work hard espacially for students. For example, students who compete with their classmates for higher marks are often motivated and improve their academic performance and achieve their educational goals. Another significant reason is that competition also helpful for employees because employees become more productive and have greater opportunities of promotion. As a result, students achieve their educational goals while workers become more productive and have better promotion options.

On ther other hand, some individuals believe that we should focus more on cooperation rather than to compete with one another. The reason is that cooperation between students and workers allow them to share their knowledge and skills with each other and they feel more comfortable because they do not have any stress about competition. For instance, students share their ideas and knowledge with their classmates helped them to become more productive and also build strong relationships. Secondly, cooperation also improve teamwork, people learn to work towards a common goal. As a result, individuals feel more comfortable after coperate with eachother and they build stronger relationships.

In conclusion, although competion is beneficial in workplace, education, and in daily life but, cooperation is also helpful. I beleive that, competition is beneficial thing because its encourage to people work hard and achieve their golas.

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 beneficial and that cooperation is better, while also providing a clear personal opinion. The writer establishes a position early ('I beleive that, competition is beneficial thing') and maintains it throughout the essay. However, the ideas lack deep extension and tend to be repetitive, particularly in the body paragraphs and the conclusion, where sentences are nearly restated verbatim. For instance, the argument regarding students is generalised across both paragraphs without introducing fresh insights. According to the band descriptors, the response covers all parts of the task with relevant ideas, but these ideas remain somewhat under-developed, aligning well with a Band 6.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, fulfilling basic structural requirements. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing viewpoints. However, cohesion is often mechanical and repetitive, relying heavily on transitional phrases like 'On the one hand', 'On ther other hand', and 'Secondly'. Furthermore, referencing and logical progression are sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and tautological phrasing, such as repeating the exact same concluding ideas in multiple sections. While the flow is understandable, the occasional mechanical use of cohesive devices and clunky transitions prevent it from achieving a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to education, employment, and interpersonal dynamics, such as 'productive', 'academic performance', 'relationships', and 'common goal'. Nevertheless, there are frequent spelling errors ('work place', 'aldo', 'beleive', 'eachother', 'cometition', 'compitition', 'espacially', 'coperate', 'competion', 'golas') and word-choice inaccuracies, such as 'competition in workplace... is encourage to individuals'. While these lexical shortcomings do not completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the score from reaching higher bands. The student demonstrates an attempt to use less common vocabulary, but the persistent mechanical errors keep this criterion at a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as relative clauses ('students who compete with their classmates...') and conditional ideas. However, grammatical accuracy is weak due to frequent errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and prepositional usage, such as 'competition... its encourage to people work hard', 'cooperation between students and workers allow', and 'after coperate with eachother'. Punctuation is also problematic in places, with misplaced commas interrupting sentence flow. Because errors are frequent throughout the text and occasionally cause slight strain for the reader despite communication remaining intact, the writing fits the Band 5.0 descriptors.

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