Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Whether competition or cooperation better drives success in work, education, and daily life remains a debated topic. While competition fuels individual ambition, cooperation fosters collective progress. Both have distinct roles, and their effectiveness depends on the context.

Advocates for competition highlight its ability to motivate excellence. In workplaces, competitive environments often boost productivity: sales teams with targets, for example, push employees to innovate and exceed expectations, driving personal growth and company success. In schools, healthy academic competition encourages students to strive for better grades and develop resilience. However, excessive competition can lead to negative outcomes, such as stress or a focus on winning over ethical behavior, which may harm relationships or well-being.

Those who prioritize cooperation emphasize its power to unite diverse strengths. Complex tasks, like scientific research or corporate projects, rely on teamwork. For instance, developing a new vaccine requires collaboration between scientists, engineers, and clinicians, whose combined expertise solves problems no individual could tackle alone. In education, group projects teach communication and empathy, preparing students for a world where interdisciplinary collaboration is essential. Yet, unstructured cooperation may cause inefficiencies if roles are unclear, leading to unequal contributions or reduced accountability.

In my view, the key is balancing competition and cooperation, as their value varies by context. Competition drives individual ambition and innovation, while cooperation unites diverse strengths for shared goals like climate solutions. Far from opposites, they complement each other: competition fuels personal growth, cooperation enables collective progress. By using them thoughtfully - prioritizing one where needed - societies can foster environments where individuals thrive and communities advance together.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the view that competition is good and the view that cooperation is preferable, while also clearly presenting and supporting the writer's own opinion. The position is well-developed throughout the essay. For instance, the second paragraph effectively explores the positive aspects of workplace and school competition while acknowledging potential negative outcomes such as stress. Similarly, the third paragraph provides concrete examples like scientific research to support the benefits of cooperation. The conclusion smoothly brings these ideas together to deliver a nuanced final perspective. The ideas are extended and supported logically without any major omissions, meeting all the requirements of a Band 8 performance for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression from introduction to conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt: competition, cooperation, and the synthesized view. Cohesive devices are managed well, using appropriate transitional phrases like 'While competition fuels', 'However, excessive competition', and 'Those who prioritize cooperation' to guide the reader smoothly through the arguments. Referencing is consistently clear, and the overall progression is logical, satisfying the descriptors for a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The writer displays a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary that allows for precision in discussing the topic. Less common lexical items such as 'collective progress', 'interdisciplinary collaboration', 'exceed expectations', and 'unite diverse strengths' are used effectively and demonstrate an awareness of style and collocation. Word choice is generally natural and appropriate, with only occasional minor flaws. While it stops just short of the wide, highly flexible range required for a Band 8, the lexical resource is strong, accurate, and fully meets the criteria for Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

The response features a wide variety of complex sentence structures used with a high degree of control. Examples include participial phrases and conditional clauses, such as 'Far from opposites, they complement each other: competition fuels personal growth, cooperation enables collective progress.' The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled skillfully. Only very occasional, non-systematic errors occur, which do not impede communication in any way. This level of syntactic variety and grammatical accuracy firmly places the response in the Band 8 category.

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