Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-24
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)
It is often argued that some people believe that competition at work, at school and, in daily life is an excellent thing while, others believe that instead of competing with others we should cooperate with each other. I highly respect both these opinion however, i believe that cooperation can be more beneficial then competing against each other and this essay will discuss why I hold this opinion before reaching a reasonable conclusion.
To begin with, one the main reasons is that cooperation can clarify things and make them more easy to understand. It is because when we find something difficult we can get help from others which can boost our relations with others and than we get use too with these coordination. For instances, i was given a project of school about screw gauge but the good thing was i have group so on some points where i get stuck my colleges help me out. Therefore, it is a plus point of my discussion.
Furthermore, another important reason is that we don't get a burden of work while working in a group. It can be explained as when we work cooperatively we get less amount of work moreover, we can complete it easily. This strategy saves our a lot of time and we can do other activities when we get bored. This point further supports my overall discussion.
In conclusion, the points discussed above highlights the key aspects of the issue. Overall, i remain convinced that working cooperatively could give us multiple of benefits rather than working alone and competing with others.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses both views regarding competition and cooperation, and states a clear position that cooperation is more beneficial. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and relies on basic personal anecdotes rather than fully extended arguments. The first body paragraph mentions clarity and relationship-building, while the second discusses workload sharing. While relevant, these ideas are underdeveloped and lack broader societal examples. The conclusion restates the position adequately. Therefore, this performance meets the criteria for Band 5.5, addressing the prompt while remaining somewhat repetitive and limited in extension.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is divided into four standard paragraphs: an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. There is a basic logical progression from introduction to body points and final thoughts. However, cohesive devices are often mechanical, repetitive, or misused, such as starting sentences with 'It is because when' or 'It can be explained as'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'than we get use too with these coordination'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the text, but overall the logical flow suffers from repetitive transitional phrases and clunky sentence connections, placing it firmly at Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive throughout the essay. The student relies on common words such as 'good thing', 'help', and 'work'. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'than we get use too with these coordination', 'my colleges help me out' (confusing colleagues and colleges), and 'multiple of benefits'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic message and allow the reader to understand the intended meaning, the restricted range and frequent errors in word choice prevent the essay from achieving a higher band, aligning well with a Band 5.0 score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but attempts at complex sentences frequently contain grammatical errors or awkward phrasing, such as 'It is often argued that some people believe that competition... while, others believe...'. There are frequent punctuation and grammatical errors, including comma splices and incorrect prepositions ('project of school', 'on some points where i get stuck'), incorrect verb forms ('than competing against each other and this essay will discuss'), and lowercase 'i'. These errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and restrict the grammatical range and accuracy to Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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