Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

In present time, individuals are competing with each other in daily life wether it is school or professionally. Some think that this is a positive change while other says this has negative impact on society. Both of the views have some positive and negative impact, but in my opinion competition is a good thing because it push individuals to work more harder.

Firstly, people who are competing others have a goal to reach and this target helps them to stay focused in their work life. In students, children compete to score well marks. Because, if they are having a sports competition in school, competiting other shows the true capability of individuals and it makes them to cross their limits. For example, a individual who is participating in a race competition wants to win that race by anyhow. So this is what competition do.

On the other hand, competing others bring rush and violent as well, some of the competitions bring rage which harm the society and people. Sometimes competitions take a wrong turn, people starts thinking that the other one to whome the are competing is there enemy. Because, people becomes so eager to win that they forgot the difference between the right step and the wrong step. For example, in politics a individual can go through any limits even it takes to eliminate the opponent. Which is why politics becoming dirty.

In conclusion, it depends on people mentality how they feel about competition, because taking your lose personally can make a individual do bad things such as killing the opposition.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You present a clear preference for competition, saying it can push people to work harder, and you include relevant examples from school sport and politics. However, the task asks you to discuss cooperation as well as competition, and cooperation is not explained as a distinct viewpoint. The response therefore addresses the prompt only partially. The discussion of competition is also limited: the race example illustrates motivation, but the claim that people may cross limits is not developed with a balanced explanation of when competition is beneficial or harmful. Your conclusion shifts towards the dangers of competition and does not clearly restate your overall position. To strengthen the response, explain why cooperation matters, compare the two approaches, and support your opinion with more fully explained examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting contrasting effects, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “Firstly” and “On the other hand” help signal the change in focus. However, the overall progression is not always clear: the second body paragraph discusses harmful competition rather than cooperation, so it does not fully develop the contrast required by the task. Some links are mechanical or unclear, including “Because” beginning a sentence and “So this is what competition do.” Ideas within paragraphs sometimes repeat the same point about winning or harm without adding explanation. Use topic sentences that directly identify each viewpoint, then connect examples to the claim they support and make the conclusion consistent with the position in the introduction.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use a basic range of relevant vocabulary, including “focused,” “capability,” “rage,” and “opponent,” which allows the reader to follow the main ideas. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive, and some errors make the meaning less clear. Examples include “competing others,” “score well marks,” “bring rush and violent,” and “by anyhow.” Spelling and word-form errors such as “wether,” “competiting,” and “enemy” also reduce precision. Aim to learn vocabulary in natural phrases and check spelling and forms carefully. More precise expressions such as “compete with others,” “achieve high marks,” and “create tension” would help you explain the effects of competition more clearly and avoid repeating general words such as “good” and “bad.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, using clauses with “because,” “which,” and “even,” but control is inconsistent. Frequent errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction sometimes make the reader pause. For example, “competition is a good thing because it push” needs subject–verb agreement, while “people starts thinking” and “they forgot” do not maintain correct agreement or tense. The sentence beginning “Because, if they are having…” is an incomplete and awkwardly joined construction, and “a individual” shows an article error. Punctuation also needs attention, particularly around sentence fragments and comma use. Practise building accurate sentences first, then combine them with subordinate clauses; check each sentence for a clear subject, verb, and complete thought.

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