Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

It has been an ongoing debate whether competition at work, school and daily life is a good thing, some claim that it is while others believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing with each other. In my opinion it is more reasonable to try to reduce competition in our everyday lives in order to create a more comfortable space.

Some people strongly claim that competition is essential in our daily life, whether it is at school, work, or even at home. Suggesting that it creates a desire to achieve more and set higher goals for oneself. And truly, in some scenarios, that can be very true, as when someone has competition, they feel a need to keep working in order to always stay at the top, leading to them achieving great things without even realizing it.

In contrast, others argue that we should try to cooperate more rather than competeing against eachother, since competition can lead to a tense environement, whether it is a workplace, classroom, or even at home. Additionally, competition can cause a sense of stress and pressure to always be at the top even when not feeling good whether it is mentally or physically, leading to health problems and depression.

In my opinion, competition can be a good and useful thing, but it should have a limit. I agree with the statement that it helps people set higher goals for themselves, eventually helping them to achieve great things, but i also think it is important to take into account that it can greatly effect a persons physical and mental health, therefore, competition should not be completely eliminated from our everyday lives, but instead it should be reduced to a healthy amount in order to ensure good health and comfortable environments.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the view that competition is beneficial and the alternative view that cooperation should be prioritized, while also providing a clear personal opinion. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, the paragraph arguing for competition touches upon setting higher goals and achieving great things, but these points remain somewhat general and lack detailed supporting examples. To reach a higher band, the writer would need to extend and support all main ideas with more specific explanations or real-world illustrations, ensuring that both perspectives receive an equal depth of analysis throughout the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, and the body paragraphs are appropriately divided to discuss competing views separately. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast' and 'Additionally' are used to connect ideas, though referencing and transitions can occasionally feel mechanical. For example, the sentence starting with 'Suggesting that it creates a desire...' in the second paragraph acts as a sentence fragment rather than being smoothly integrated into the surrounding context. To improve further, the writer should ensure that all cohesive links flow naturally and that referencing between sentences remains robust and clear throughout the entire text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their ideas about competition and cooperation clearly. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'tense environment' and 'completely eliminated', but there are noticeable errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'competeing' instead of 'competing' and 'effect' instead of 'affect'. These lexical slips do not seriously impede communication, which aligns well with the expected standard for this level. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to expand their range of vocabulary, demonstrate greater precision in word forms and collocations, and eliminate spelling inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like subordinate clauses in sentences such as 'while others believe that we should try to cooperate more'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including comma splices and run-on structures, such as in the introduction and the final paragraph where sentences are joined improperly with commas. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear. To move up to the next band, the writer should increase the frequency of error-free complex sentences and exercise tighter control over punctuation, particularly regarding the separation of independent clauses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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