Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-26

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 the contemporary era, many people try to compete with others. Some people argue that competition at work, at school, and in daily life is a good thing, while others believe that people should try to cooperate with others. In my opinion, I believe that competition is not necessary all times to make the work better, but cooperation is needed among people to enhance the quality of work.

On the one hand, many people believe that the competition at work, at school, and in daily life is a good thing. At work places competition between the the employees is seen among their work, They try to make their work better. So, that their position can be shifted from lowest to highest. In this situation all persons try to compete others. Moreover, at school, this can be evident that many topper students are try to compete others. Because they want to remain at the first position. Therefore, they put their more efforts in studies to enhance their performace. So, competition leads to betterment the work of people.

On the other hand, some people think that the cooperation is necessary among all the members because this helps in enhancing the quality of work. Workers from various sectors try to do group work with others. This leads to collaboration among the members and improves the quality of work. For instance, in the school sector, if the students are working on an project then they do the teamwork because this enhances the quality of the project. So, the collaboration among the members is required to make an impossible task possible.

In conclusion, while competition can drive individual achievement and innovation, I believe that working together is more conducive to long-term success and well-being. Encouraging cooperative behaviors, therefore, can lead to more harmonious and productive environments in schools, workplaces, and communities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the view that competition is beneficial and the view that cooperation is preferable, and it provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as employees striving for better positions and students working on group projects. However, some arguments tend to be slightly repetitive and under-developed, preventing the response from reaching a higher band. For instance, the discussion on school competition remains rather basic ("Because they want to remain at the first position"). Overall, the task is successfully fulfilled, and the position is clearly maintained throughout the essay, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure consisting of an introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as "On the one hand", "Moreover", and "For instance". However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in awkward transitions like "So, that their position can be shifted" and "So, competition leads to betterment the work of people". Paragraphing is appropriate, and each paragraph has a clear central topic, but the logical progression within paragraphs occasionally feels abrupt due to sentence fragmentations and repetitive structures, placing it firmly at a Band 6 level.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as "contemporary era", "collaboration", "innovation", and "harmonious". There are, however, several inappropriate word choices and word-formation errors, such as "betterment the work" instead of "improving work", "performace" (spelling error), and repeating the phrase "quality of work" multiple times. Less common lexical items are attempted but occasionally misused or awkwardly collocated. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6, as the vocabulary is sufficient for the task but lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text. Examples include "competition is not necessary all times", "between the the employees", "all persons try to compete others" (missing preposition), and unnecessary sentence fragments starting with "So,". Despite these persistent errors in grammar and punctuation, the meaning remains comprehensible, and communication is rarely impeded. The control of grammar aligns with the Band 6 descriptor, reflecting a blend of successful complex structures alongside noticeable errors.

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