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)

People have different views about competition with each other. While some believe that it is a good thing in daily life at work or at school, others argue that people should work with cooperation rather than competing each other. I believe that work with cooperation in daily life is more great thing to do.

On the one hand, competition with your colleagues at your work place or at school level increase the motivation to become success in your life. This is because when someone is getting success in his life, the jealously level increases by their co-workers and they tries to work hard to compete him. One of the main example is from the corporate sector in our society, that allegedly increases the competition among the employees. They give incentives to the high performers, making a competition in team. Consequently, other members will try hard to meet the target and take it as an advantage.

On the other hand, work through cooperation with the partners bring a positive impact in the development of the society. Work with advice and confidence of the fellows can lead to trust development and built-up strong relationship. I believe this view is more convincing because it drives individual and team performance, improves employee engagement and retention, and allows organizations to solve complex problems faster than individuals working alone.

In conclusion, although competition at work, at school and in daily life is good, I believe that work with cooperation is bring a positive impact in everyone's life because it accelerates the performance as a team.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both sides and state a clear preference for cooperation, so the response addresses the main parts of the task. The competition paragraph gives a relevant workplace example—performance incentives—and explains how these may motivate employees. However, the cooperation argument is less fully developed: claims about trust, relationships and solving complex problems would benefit from a specific example or clearer explanation. The position is present, but the conclusion largely repeats the introduction rather than drawing the discussion together. The response is also one word below the required 250-word minimum; the 10 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Develop the less-supported view and add a little relevant explanation to meet the requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. The signposts “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow. Within the competition paragraph, the explanation moves from motivation to incentives and their effect on other employees. Some connections are less clear or mechanical, however. For example, “This is because when someone is getting success…” does not clearly explain how competition itself produces motivation, and “One of the main example is from…” introduces the example awkwardly. The final paragraph repeats the central claim without adding a synthesis. Use clearer links between each claim and its supporting explanation, and vary the way ideas are connected.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “incentives,” “high performers,” “employee engagement,” “retention,” and “complex problems.” These choices show an attempt to express workplace concepts beyond basic everyday language. However, several noticeable word-choice and collocation problems make parts of the response sound unnatural, such as “more great thing,” “jealously level,” “compete him,” and “work with cooperation.” Some expressions are also repeated, particularly “work” and “competition.” Aim for more precise, natural combinations and check word forms and spelling; for example, use “jealousy” rather than “jealously,” and describe employees as competing “with” or “against” one another. This would make your meaning smoother and more exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a concessive opening (“While some believe…”) and a reason clause (“This is because…”). The main ideas are generally understandable, but errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence construction occur across the response. Examples include “competition … increase” instead of “increases,” “they tries” instead of “they try,” and “cooperation … bring” instead of “brings.” The conclusion’s “work with cooperation is bring” also combines incompatible verb forms. There are some longer sentences, but control is uneven, so the reader must sometimes work out the intended structure. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and choosing one correct verb pattern in each clause, while retaining your attempts at complex 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.