Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

There has been an argument over individuals competing against each other in our daily routines rather than cooperating. In my opinion, both play an equal role in our daily lives.

On the one hand, competition can sometimes motivate us because today's era is about competition. When people show good performance, they will achieve more and will succeed in gaining more opportunities compared to other people who do not struggle. Moreover, in today's time, people think of themselves first. Furthermore, everyone wants a stable family and environment for their families, and everyone is competing against each other. For example, people have left their loved ones in the home country and shifted to other countries to secure better lifestyles for them, and the main reason for them is to compete with other indiduals and do more than them to give a better life to their families.

On the other hand, cooperation also plays a significant role in our daily life. Everyone in the world is not perfect and needs people in their lives who can overcome their hurdles. For example, a multimedia company cannot be run by only one individual; it requires a lot of people and cooperation to raise the company as high as they can. For that reason, everyone shares their different opinions and what precautions they should take to attract people. Without teamwork, they will fall and will never succeed in their lives

In conclusion, both roles have equal importance in our daily routines. Without these two things, no one can achieve anything in their lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both competition and cooperation while also offering a personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. However, the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed, placing the response in the mid-range. For instance, the discussion on competition relies heavily on general statements about people moving abroad to secure better lifestyles, such as when the writer notes that 'people have left their loved ones in the home country and shifted to other countries to secure better lifestyles.' While relevant, this idea lacks deeper extension or specific illustration. Similarly, the cooperative viewpoint mentions a multimedia company as an example, but the explanation remains brief. To reach higher bands, the writer needs to present fully developed ideas with more thorough explanations and concrete examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a clear overarching structure with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing each viewpoint, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as moving from competition to cooperation. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes mechanical, and cohesive devices are used repetitively. Phrases like 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'For example' structure the essay, but referencing can occasionally become unclear, such as pronoun usage in sentences like 'the main reason for them is to compete with other indiduals and do more than them.' To improve, the writer should employ a wider variety of cohesive relationships and ensure smoother transitions between sentences to create a more natural flow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, demonstrating an acceptable range for expressing basic opinions about daily life and work. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'stable family and environment,' 'overcome their hurdles,' and 'precaution,' but these attempts are occasionally marred by slight inaccuracies in collocation or word choice. Additionally, there are minor spelling slips, such as 'indiduals' instead of individuals. While these lexical shortcomings do not seriously impede communication, the vocabulary remains somewhat repetitive, relying on straightforward terms. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to incorporate a wider and more flexible range of precise lexical items and idiomatic language with fewer errors in word form and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use varied structures through conditional and subordinate clauses, such as 'When people show good performance, they will achieve more.' However, attempts at complex structures are often accompanied by frequent errors in grammar, articles, prepositions, and plurals, which can occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. For example, expressions like 'in today's time' and 'in our daily routines' show awkward prepositional or phrasing choices. Furthermore, sentence boundaries and punctuation need closer attention to avoid run-on structures. To progress, the writer must focus on increasing the proportion of error-free sentences while maintaining a strong control over grammatical agreement and tense consistency.

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

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