Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-09

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)

The debate surrounding competition has led to constracting views. While some people believe that competition at work, at school as well as in our regular life is a positive thing, others argue that everyone should try to cooperate more. This eassay will discuss both perspective and explain why I believe that Competition has a positive outcomes.

Those who support competition in our daily life argue that it helps us to acieve our aims. One clear example is that people who is more corncern about their dreams has a tendency to have more competitive nature. Supporters further claim that competition helps the individuals to come out from their comfort zone to pursue their goals. Moreover, it allows us to explore our capability or tendency to secure a good position. Which reinforces the idea that competition at any workstation is healthy.

On the other hand, proponants of the second view believes that people should cooperate more. This is because competing against one another can destroy the bondings between them. For instance, my best friend and I broke our three years of friendship because of our competitive nature in school. That's why best friends should help each other to get good marks together at school. In fact, it will provide a hand in need.

To conclude, although cooperation has merit, competition appears more compelling. Given the reasons outlined above, I firmly believe that Healthy competition is a good way to increase our focus towards our goals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question and state a clear preference for competition in the introduction and conclusion. The points about pursuing goals and the risk that rivalry can damage friendships are relevant, and the personal example gives the cooperation paragraph some support. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the claim that competition helps people “explore our capability” is not explained, and the cooperation view is represented mainly through one friendship example rather than a broader argument. The response also falls 7 words short of the required 250-word minimum. To strengthen the response, explain the benefits and drawbacks more fully, support each view with a clear example, and make the comparison behind your opinion explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the other hand” and “To conclude” help readers follow the main direction. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. For example, “Which reinforces the idea that competition at any workstation is healthy” is a sentence fragment and its connection to the preceding point is not fully clear. The transition from the friendship example to “best friends should help each other” also feels abrupt. Use linking phrases to show how each example supports the argument, and ensure each paragraph develops one central idea in a logical sequence. Refer clearly to people or ideas when using pronouns such as “it.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “competitive nature,” “comfort zone,” “pursue their goals,” and “cooperate.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main ideas, but the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision. Examples include “constracting” for “contrasting,” “eassay” for “essay,” “acieve” for “achieve,” and “proponants” for “proponents.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “provide a hand in need” and “increase our focus towards our goals.” Aim to check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for discussing competition and cooperation. More precise phrasing would make your arguments clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a concession in “although cooperation has merit” and a reason clause beginning “This is because.” However, errors in sentence structure and agreement occur often enough to make some ideas less clear. For example, “people who is” should use a plural verb, and “proponents … believes” should also have plural agreement. “Which reinforces the idea…” is a fragment because it does not form a complete sentence. There are also problems with articles and number, as in “a positive outcomes.” Practise checking subject–verb agreement and making sure each sentence has a complete main clause; this will help you express your ideas more accurately.

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