Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-29
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 5.0)
In today's world, globalization is increasing day by day. Some people believe that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a very good thing. Opponents argue that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing. I will dicuss both viewpoints and give my opinion in the upcoming paragraphs.
To begin with, competition is basic part people's lives. First of all it helps people to stay in touch with their friends and relatives and also help them to cooperate. However, competition at school should teach students to cooperate with their friends and teachers. Competition suggests many helpful ideas for students successful future. Competition is a very good way to cooperate with others. They provide many helpful features for student to cooperate with their friends as well as relatives. Some people believe competition is difficult in daily life. Competition is very useful at work, which can improve workers speed. They suggest helping other poor people if they are in trouble or need help. Competition allow people to maintain social relationships as well as cooperate with them.
On the other hand, some people believe that we try to cooperate with them rather than competing with each other. Many people believe that fashion, lifestyle and consumer goods show their social status which can show their competition level, which make people feel more stressful. However, some people are influenced by each other and copy each other which can help competition to grow and they do not cooperate with others. They feel competition is very helpful for them to teach poor people to their lifestyle. Some people think that it is very good way to competition with each other rather than cooperate.
In conclusion, competition is very helpful and teaches people to cooperate with their relatives as well as friends. They also suggest ideas for young people to cooperate with their elders and siblings. It is a very easy way to cooperate with others rather than competing against each other and helps people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the views on competition and cooperation, while also attempting to provide an opinion. However, the development of ideas is severely hindered by significant repetition and muddled reasoning. For instance, the student repeatedly asserts that competition actually teaches people to cooperate with relatives, friends, and elders, without providing clear or logical arguments to substantiate this unique claim. Furthermore, the discussion on consumer goods and social status in the third paragraph is somewhat tangential and poorly connected to the core theme. The position is stated in the introduction but remains confused and underdeveloped throughout the essay, which places this performance firmly at Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay has a recognizable overall structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, progression is lacking because ideas are repetitious and lack logical sequencing. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately; phrases like 'To begin with', 'However', and 'On the other hand' are deployed mechanically without signaling genuine logical shifts or contrasts. Paragraphing is attempted, but individual paragraphs lack a clear thematic focus, jumping haphazardly between competition, cooperation, and social relationships. Pronoun referencing is also frequently ambiguous (e.g., 'They provide many helpful features'), making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of arguments. This corresponds to a Band 5.0 level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, frequently recycling key terms such as 'competition', 'cooperate', 'friends', 'relatives', and 'helpful'. There is a limited range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic discussion, and some word choices are unnatural or semantically confused, such as 'competition is basic part people's lives' (missing articles and prepositions) and 'improve workers speed'. While the errors do not completely block communication, they are noticeable and demonstrate a lack of precision and flexibility. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the overall lexical control reflects a Band 5.0 performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but many complex attempts are flawed. Grammatical errors are frequent throughout the text. Examples include missing articles ('basic part people's lives', 'student successful future'), subject-verb agreement issues ('Competition allow', 'They provide... for student'), and incorrect prepositions ('good way to competition'). Punctuation is generally basic, and while simple sentences are often accurate, the higher frequency of structural and mechanical errors means that communication occasionally requires extra effort from the reader. This performance aligns with the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.