Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-02

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)

It is often argued that whether people should compete with one another in every stage of life or should they help each other to achieve good things in life. However both of this viewpoint has some advantages and disadvantages, I strongly believe that cooperation is the key to earn something better,

Firstly, we all know that ,people can't live alone. They need to stay in a society where they can talk ,work or do varieties of other activities with different kind of people. If the society faces a problem ,then one individual can't solve that alone or it will get arduous for him. Collaboration with other people makes that issue easy and open the place for improvements. For example, we all aware of the bad effect of air pollution and wants to improve the situation. But is it possible through one person's action? Its definitely not possible .For that collaboration with others needed. Also in work or in school people whose worked together often seen to achieve results faster then any individual person. And through collaboration people can share their thought and skill with one another , which also helpful for individual growth.

In contrast ,competition may be beneficial for individual growth but sometimes it creates a toxic environment. Specially in working environment where a company's growth is depended ,if people try to compete each other and don't share information among themselves, that company may suffer from late outcome.

In conclusion, though competition among school children sometimes brings better individual result, but cooperation teaches them how to improve their manners around people and cop up with daily life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt only partially, fulfilling the requirement to discuss both views and provide a personal opinion, but the ideas remain limited and under-developed. For instance, the writer introduces relevant examples such as air pollution, but the explanation lacks depth and fails to fully extend the argument about why collaboration is superior to competition. The position is stated in the introduction, but the reasoning throughout the body paragraphs is generalized and lacks fully articulated supporting details. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to expand on their arguments with more thorough explanations and specific, well-developed examples that directly address both aspects of the prompt in greater detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay displays some organization with basic paragraphing, but there is no clear overall progression of ideas from start to finish. Cohesive devices are frequently inadequate, inaccurate, or repetitive, relying heavily on basic linkers like 'Firstly' and 'In contrast', while referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the ambiguous use of pronouns. Paragraphing is attempted, but the logical flow between sentences and paragraphs feels disjointed at times. For example, the transition between discussing air pollution and the workplace environment is abrupt. To achieve a higher score, the writer must ensure a smoother progression of ideas, use a wider and more accurate variety of cohesive devices, and maintain clearer connections between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary range is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic message. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'arduous' and 'collaboration', but there are noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and form, such as 'earn something better' instead of 'achieve better outcomes' and 'late outcome' instead of 'delayed results'. Spelling and word formation errors, such as 'cop up' instead of 'cope', also occur and occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer should focus on expanding their vocabulary range, ensuring accurate collocations, and refining word forms to express ideas with greater precision and naturalness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside attempts at complex forms that are frequently faulty. There are persistent errors in grammar, punctuation, and articles throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('people whose worked together', 'its definitely not possible'), incorrect prepositions ('compete each other'), and run-on sentences. These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader. To move up to the next band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures with greater accuracy, pay closer attention to basic grammatical rules such as articles and verb tenses, and improve punctuation control.

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