Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-03

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)

Some individuals argue that competition is important at work, at school and in daily routine, while others say that coperation is more beneficial between these areas although it is a heated debate.This essay will discuss both views before giving my own perspective.

On the one hand, proponents argue that competition is more beneficial due to it leads to success and motivation.In school, students work hard for getting the high gardes than other pupils beacuse they know the fact that if they achieve high grades in schools then they have the better opportunity for getting scholarship.Moreover, in office there is a competition between employees.

They give all their strength to complete the task in a appropriate way because they want promotion and high salary package.In addition, competition in daily life is also crucial because it feels the person more active and motivated.

On the other hand , some people argue that cooperation is more beneficial than competition because it induces more productivity and good relationships.In school, children learn new skills if they work together and coperate with each other. Furthermore, children develop communication skills and good relationships that will help then in future in their practical life.

At office, workers should communicate and help each other to increase the productivity of business instead of competition.For example, if a company launches thier new medicinal product then it is the responsibility of their marketing team to coperate with other members of company so that sale of the product increases.

From my perspective, althought competion brings motivation for children and employees but teamwork and cooperation is more beneficial beacuse it creates good relationships and productivity for business.

In conclusion, I think that cooperation between different employees in compay and children in school is more important than competition.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the views that competition is beneficial and that cooperation is better, while also providing a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. However, the ideas are not all developed to the same degree. While the first body paragraph attempts to explain the motivation behind competition in schools and offices, some points remain brief and somewhat repetitive. For example, the statement that competition in daily life makes a person feel more active is stated without sufficient supporting examples or extension. To move to a higher level, the writer needs to ensure that every main idea is fully explored with detailed explanations and relevant, well-developed examples throughout all body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, separate body paragraphs for each opposing view, and a concluding stance. The progression of ideas is generally logical, moving from the benefits of competition to the advantages of cooperation. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and referencing is not always completely clear. For instance, transitional markers and cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In addition' are used, but sentences within paragraphs occasionally lack smooth linking. Furthermore, spacing and punctuation around cohesive devices and commas need attention, such as missing spaces after commas in phrases like 'On the other hand ,'. To achieve a higher score, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices and ensure seamless logical transitions between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, providing enough terms to discuss the topic of competition versus cooperation. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'proponents', 'productivity', and 'scholarship', demonstrating a reasonable effort to vary word choice. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors that occasionally detract from precision. Examples include 'coperation' instead of 'cooperation', 'gardes' instead of 'grades', 'beacuse' instead of 'because', 'thier' instead of 'their', and awkward collocations like 'in an appropriate way' or 'feels the person more active'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they reflect a limited control over less common lexical items. To improve, the writer should focus on accurate spelling, precise word forms, and natural collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The text demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'if they achieve high grades in schools then they have the better opportunity' and 'if a company launches thier new medicinal product'. However, there are frequent errors in grammar, articles, prepositions, and punctuation that recur throughout the text. Examples include missing articles ('in office', 'at office', 'in compay'), incorrect prepositional usage ('competition between these areas'), and awkward phrasing in complex structures ('for getting the high gardes'). Punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after periods and commas, are also present. While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of grammatical control. A greater variety of error-free complex sentences and closer attention to basic grammatical rules are needed to progress.

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