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 whether people should compete with one another in every stage of life or whether 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 easier and opens 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? It definitely not possible. For that collaboration with others needed. Also in work or in school people who worked together often seen to achieve the results faster than 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 the 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 cope up with daily life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both competition and cooperation and stating an opinion, which aligns with addressing the main parts of the task. However, the ideas are somewhat limited and under-developed. For instance, the paragraph discussing cooperation touches upon society, air pollution, and school/work, but these points are treated briefly without deep extension or rigorous support. The writer's position is discernible through statements like 'I strongly believe that cooperation is the key', but the overall development remains basic, leaving certain arguments slightly superficial. To move towards a higher level, the writer needs to select fewer ideas and extend them more fully with concrete explanations and richer examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation evident in the essay, with a clear introduction, body points, and a concluding sentence. However, there is no clear overall progression; the flow between sentences can feel disjointed, and the paragraphs lack sophisticated logical bridges. Cohesive devices are sometimes inaccurate or over-used, such as starting multiple sentences with 'And', 'Also', or repetitive transition words like 'Firstly' and 'In contrast'. Paragraphing is also somewhat weak, as the main body is lumped into one large block rather than being logically separated into distinct paragraphs for each view and the personal opinion. To improve, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive markers naturally and structure the essay into distinct, well-managed paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to communicate the basic arguments. The writer attempts some less common items such as 'arduous', 'collaboration', and 'toxic environment', but these are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form, such as 'earn something better' instead of 'achieve better results', 'bad effect' instead of 'negative impact', and 'late outcome' instead of 'delayed results'. There are also frequent issues with phrasing, like 'do varieties of other activities with different kind of people'. To achieve a higher score, the writer must expand their lexical range and pay closer attention to natural collocations and precise word choices.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The essay displays a limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside some attempts at complex forms that frequently contain errors. There are notable issues with verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and articles throughout the text, such as 'whether should they help' (incorrect word order in indirect questions), 'both of this viewpoint' (plural/singular mismatch), 'it definitely not possible' (missing verb), and 'people who worked together often seen' (missing auxiliary). Punctuation and preposition usage within grammatical patterns also need tighter control. To reach the next level, the writer must produce a better mix of complex structures with fewer recurring errors that hinder smooth reading.

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