Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-10

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 6.5)

Some individuals believe that comeptition at workplace, school and in daily routine is a fine thing, whilst others argue that people should try to cooperate more instead of competing with eachother. According to my perspective, we should encourage people to be more helpful and cooperative to promote kindness.

Many individuals say that competing with others in different aspects of life is a good thing as it can offer new learning experiences and individuals can become self dependent to complete their tasks without relying on others. For instance, every student who wants to secure good grades in exam are aware of the competition among their classmates so they tend to study more hard and try to do better from their classmates by putting quite alot of effort. In addition, competitions allows individuals to be more active and workhard at their workplace. Competition offers a chance to learn something new and innovative as it encourages creativity.

Conversely, others argue that we should teach people to be more cooperative and provide a helping hand to those who are in need beacuse it allows people to be more empathetic and understanding. For instance, a person is given a project to work on by his boss but he is unable to complete it before the deadline because he is going through something and feels mentally exhausted. The right thing a cooperative colleague can do is offer help as it spreads postivity and promotes a healthy workplace environment. In addition, we should not always try to compete against eachother because it can increase stress and promote unethical behaviours.

To put it in a nutshell, although competition allows independency and promotes creativity; however, it can also lead to excessive stress and anxiety. I strongly agree that we should teach people to be more kind and cooperative.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear preference for cooperation in the introduction and conclusion. The examples are relevant: competition may motivate students to study harder, while a colleague’s support can help someone facing mental exhaustion. These points show a sound response to the task. However, some ideas are more fully explained than others. The benefits of competition are listed—independence, effort and creativity—but the link between competition and creativity is asserted rather than demonstrated. The workplace example supports cooperation, though it could explain more specifically how this benefits the team or its results. To strengthen the response, develop each main claim with a clearer explanation and make your position on when competition may be useful more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a concluding opinion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “For instance,” “Conversely,” and “To put it in a nutshell” help readers recognise the stages of the argument. Within paragraphs, examples generally follow the claims they illustrate. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, with repeated “In addition” and “For instance.” The conclusion’s “although …; however” construction also combines two contrast markers unnecessarily. Use a wider range of natural transitions and connect ideas through clear reference or explanation, rather than relying mainly on formulaic signposting.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to discuss the topic, including terms such as “self dependent,” “empathetic,” “unethical behaviours,” and “healthy workplace environment.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some show an attempt to be precise. However, spelling errors and awkward or inaccurate word combinations are noticeable, including “comeptition,” “eachother,” “workhard,” and “quite alot.” Some expressions are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “a fine thing,” “do better from their classmates,” and “promotes kindness.” This limits the flexibility and accuracy of the vocabulary. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations as complete phrases; choosing simpler, natural wording is preferable to using a phrase that does not fit the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “as,” “because,” and “although,” and the meaning is generally clear. Some sentences are controlled, such as “Competition offers a chance to learn something new and innovative as it encourages creativity.” There are also some errors in agreement and sentence construction. For example, “every student … are aware” needs singular agreement, while “competitions allows” needs a plural verb. In the conclusion, “although …; however” creates an awkward contrast structure. Review subject–verb agreement and practise building contrast clauses with either “although” or “however,” not both in the same construction. Greater consistency would improve accuracy while preserving your range.

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