Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Many people believe that competition in the workplace, at school, and in daily life is a good habit, whereas others think that everyone should try to cooperate more, rather than compete against each other. From my perspective, I would say that we should cooperate more than compete with each other daily.

Firstly, some people think that competition at work is a better thing to do because it helps them to focus on their tasks. Those individuals want to achieve their goals, and they do not want to be distracted by other things such as office gossip, colleagues' politics, and friendships. They believe that friendships are just a waste of time and a source of distractions. At school, some students have set their goals, and they want to get first position in their classroom. That is why they want to compete with their peers.

Conversely, the professional ones who always want to compete with their colleagues are the ones who think about themselves rather than focus on their work. If they do not think about whether they are fully focused on their task, they will naturally be beaten by their performance. Whether a person is an employee or a student, they should try to cooperate with their colleagues or peers and make their lives easier.

In conclusion, everyone should try to help each other and make their lives easier rather than give them competition and make ot more harder. If

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response sits at this band because it addresses the task only partially. Notably, the length requirement is not met, as the response contains only 230 words, falling short of the 250-word minimum, and 9 words copied from the prompt were not counted. While the student attempts to discuss both views on competition and cooperation and provides a personal perspective, the ideas remain limited and under-developed. For instance, the discussion on why some people favour competition in the workplace and at school is superficial, relying on basic assertions about focus and getting the first position without deeper elaboration. Furthermore, the final paragraph cuts off abruptly with an incomplete sentence ('If'), leaving the conclusion unresolved and failing to fully satisfy all parts of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation with attempts at paragraphing, but the text lacks a clear overall progression. While introductory and transitional markers like 'Firstly' and 'Conversely' are employed, cohesive devices are at times inadequate or repetitive, which hinders the flow of ideas. The logical links between paragraphs are weak, and the abrupt termination of the essay at the end prevents a coherent structural finish. Referencing is occasionally confusing, such as when the pronoun 'they' shifts abruptly between employees, students, and competitors without clear antecedents. To move to a higher band, the writer must ensure a more logical progression of ideas from introduction to conclusion, use cohesive devices more accurately, and maintain fully structured paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task. The student employs common everyday words like 'good habit', 'focus on their tasks', and 'make their lives easier', alongside some attempts at less common phrasing such as 'colleagues' politics' and 'professional ones'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations that cause some difficulty for the reader, such as stating that competition is a 'good habit' instead of a beneficial practice, and writing 'make ot more harder' instead of 'make it much harder'. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to expand their lexical range, demonstrate greater precision in word choice and collocation, and eliminate basic word-form and spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The grammar demonstrates a limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple and straightforward compound sentences. When the writer attempts more complex structures, such as conditional clauses in the final paragraph ('If...'), they are faulty and left incomplete. Frequent grammatical errors persist throughout the text, including issues with article usage, preposition patterns, and pronoun agreement, such as 'competition at work is a better thing to do' and 'the professional ones who always want to compete'. Although these errors rarely completely distort the overall meaning, they cause noticeable difficulty and distraction for the reader. Incorporating a wider variety of error-free complex sentence forms will be essential for future progression.

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

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