Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-05

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)

There has been a growing debate about whether there should be a competition at work, school and daily life or we should try to be more cooperative. I personally think that we should cooperate with each other as it could enhance our team work.

To begin with, from my perspective competing against each other could create a conflict between individuals. Moreover it can also effect the reputation, environment and self esteem.

For instance, I was doing work in a office and my team member was somewhere jealous from my work because I was a great employee of my office and I won a certificate for my performance. It caused misunderstanding among us and it did destroy my reputation.

Hence I think team work is a solution to every misuderstandings between employees. Team members try to cooperate with one another as it can promote to better productivity and work environment. Furthermore, some offices should arrange workshops and group sessions including activities where every person can work and support each other. It can improve there ability to do something together.

In conclusion, doing work together is better than competing with one another. It can improve their team work and leads to less conflict among people. Another major reason is that people can understand the value of working as a group, resulting in good self esteem and better support to one another.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task partially. While both views regarding competition and cooperation are acknowledged, the discussion remains limited and lacks depth. Furthermore, the response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, coming in at 229 words, which restricts the development of the ideas. The writer expresses a personal opinion in favor of cooperation, but the supporting arguments tend to be repetitive rather than thoroughly explored. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to expand on both perspectives more fully with extended reasoning and ensure the length requirement is met.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates some overall organisation, utilizing basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' to structure the text. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by mechanical transitions and repetitive referencing. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas could be more logical, particularly in separating the personal example from the broader discussion of workplace solutions. To improve, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive ties more naturally and ensure each paragraph has a distinct, well-managed central theme that flows smoothly into the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical resource is limited but minimally adequate for the task. The vocabulary used is quite basic and repetitive, such as 'work', 'team work', and 'office'. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'somewhere jealous from my work' instead of 'jealous of my performance', and the spelling error 'misuderstandings'. These errors occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher score, the writer must incorporate a wider range of less common vocabulary and demonstrate better control over word formation and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences alongside a few basic complex forms. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, including article misuse ('a competition at work, school and daily life', 'in a office'), verb tense inconsistencies ('effect' instead of 'affect'), and pronoun errors ('improve there ability'). These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader. To progress, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures and improve grammatical accuracy across verb forms and prepositions.

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