Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-04

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 6.5)

Competition has always been one of the natural trait for human beings. Some people believe that healthy competition at work and school is good for the individuals, while others disagree saying that cooperating and team work is more productive than competing against each other. Although both the statements are true to some degree, I believe in the latter more.

Some people believe that competitiveness brings motivation and commitment in a person. This keeps the individual focused and goal oriented. Moreover, competing nature forces us to improve in the places we are weak, to bring on a strong fight with the rivals. For instance, competition helps big companies to be innovative and compete with better products in the market.

However, competition does not always work. Team work and cooperation is required by all the team members to troubleshoot failures and find solutions in dire situations. Cooperating with each other maintains a healthy work atmosphere which promotes growth, as well as preventing stress and burnout. Long-term projects like scientific inventions and research depend on team work and building trust within the group, to maintain the flow and consistency for growth.

While healthy competition is very much necessary to bring out of the best qualities with also maintaining the passion and desire to beat the opponents with best results, I do believe rivalry alone cannot always bring good outcomes. competitive spirit can cause damage to work relations and over work to succeed can bring stress and prostration when faced with failures. I believe team work and cooperation helps to gather different talents to give their best to the process, while also maintaining a healthy work environment.

In conclusion, while competing nature motivates an individual to be ambitious and offer their best, this can lead to pressure and fatigue in the long run. A balanced approach works best. A healthy competition is requried to stay motivated, but cooperation should be the main rule to a long lasting productive life and healthy work environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the benefits of competition and the importance of cooperation, while maintaining a clear position throughout. Your main stance is that cooperation is ultimately more effective than competition, which is introduced in the introduction and reinforced in the conclusion. Ideas are generally extended and supported, such as when you mention how competition helps large companies innovate and how long-term scientific projects depend on teamwork. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise in places, and some arguments regarding competition are slightly repetitive across paragraphs. To reach the next level, you could provide more specific or fully developed examples to illustrate your points, rather than relying on broader statements about teamwork and stress.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to the arguments for competition, the counter-arguments for cooperation, a nuanced discussion in the fourth paragraph, and a balanced conclusion. You use a variety of cohesive devices effectively, such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'In conclusion'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to separate distinct ideas. To push into higher bands, ensure that referencing and transitions between sentences are even more seamless, as certain transitions occasionally feel slightly mechanical, and make sure that overarching themes connect tightly without minor repetitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less-common items such as 'goal oriented', 'troubleshoot', 'burnout', and 'prostration'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word formation. For instance, writing 'natural trait for human beings' instead of 'traits for human beings' or 'natural human trait', and using 'competing nature' instead of 'competitive nature'. There are also minor lexical slips such as 'over work' (overwork) and 'prostration' used in a context where exhaustion or frustration might be more precise. To improve, focus on refining word choices and collocations to ensure higher precision and stylistic appropriateness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

Your writing shows a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, with a solid foundation that allows you to express your ideas clearly. You successfully employ complex structures such as concessive clauses starting with 'Although' and 'While'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('team work and cooperation is required' should use plural or uncountable phrasing consistently, and 'bring out of the best qualities' contains an unnecessary preposition). Additionally, there is a spelling and punctuation lapse in the final paragraph ('requried'). The grammar is generally well-controlled and errors rarely impede communication, but achieving a higher band requires a wider variety of complex structures combined with a higher frequency of completely error-free sentences.

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.