Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, a prominent proposal currently gaining traction is the introduction of whether individuals should support or compete with each other in daily life tasks. Although competition is necessary to gain success, I believe cooperating with others also gives a sense of relaxation with success. This essay will examine both perspectives before concluding that a balanced approach is the most beneficial.

On the one hand, some people believe that competition is a vital part of life that motivates individuals to do laborious hard work, put in demanding effort, and show unyielding strength. Furthermore, students in schools compete to gain higher academic scores, and employees in an aggressive workplace compete for bonuses and to be nominated in front of their boss. For instance, a company hires 5 interns and gives a job to one intern entirely based on his or her performance; eventually, every intern will definitely compete with each other to secure the job, regardless of sharing their ideas with others.

On the other hand, some schools of thought maintain that by cooperating with each other, ideas are shared at a faster pace. By helping each other, problem-solving skills are enhanced, creativity increases, and a sense of empathy is developed. Students at school should help each other with homework, and brighter students should teach complex lessons to less capable students. At workplaces, seniors and juniors should work in a team to create innovation and to increase production, rather than prioritizing personal gain that consequently harms the organization's overall performance.

Taking everything into account, while competition is necessary for personal character development and well-being, I firmly believe cooperation benefits are undeniably profound. Therefore, a far more pragmatic approach is that, while doing teamwork and group projects, you come up with unique ideas and show your worth, and in solo work, you do hard work while solving other problems.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the discussion and state a clear view: cooperation is more beneficial, while competition has a role. The examples about interns competing for a job and students helping classmates make the ideas relevant. This meets the task well, but the discussion is not equally developed: the competition paragraph explains motivation and selection, whereas the final paragraph’s “balanced approach” is asserted rather than clearly explained. The conclusion’s advice about teamwork and solo work is also somewhat unclear and does not fully show how the two approaches should be balanced. To strengthen the response, explain the consequences of each approach in more depth and make the practical basis for your opinion explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear four-part structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “Taking everything into account” makes the progression easy to follow. Ideas within each body paragraph generally move from a claim to supporting examples. Some links are less smooth, however: the intern example ends with “regardless of sharing their ideas with others,” which does not clearly connect to the point about competing, and the final sentence shifts abruptly to advice about teamwork and solo work. Use clearer references and transitions to show how these examples support your balanced position, and ensure the conclusion synthesises the discussion rather than introducing a loosely connected recommendation.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a reasonably broad range of vocabulary, including “interconnected,” “problem-solving skills,” “creativity,” and “personal gain,” which helps discuss both competition and cooperation. There are also attempts at more formal or less common expressions, such as “gaining traction” and “pragmatic approach.” Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, though: “a prominent proposal currently gaining traction is the introduction of whether” is awkward, “a sense of relaxation with success” does not express the intended idea clearly, and “nominated in front of their boss” is an unsuitable collocation. “Laborious hard work” is also repetitive. Aim for precise, natural combinations rather than adding elevated wording where a simpler phrase would be clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including subordinate clauses and contrastive framing, as in “Although competition is necessary to gain success, I believe…” and “while doing teamwork and group projects…”. Many sentences are grammatically controlled, and punctuation generally supports readability. A few errors or awkward constructions remain. In “every intern will definitely compete with each other,” the singular subject does not agree naturally with the plural reference; “interns will compete with one another” would be clearer. The opening sentence also has an incomplete construction around “the introduction of whether,” and “cooperation benefits” needs a possessive or a different structure, such as “the benefits of cooperation.” Review sentence patterns and agreement while retaining your range of complex forms.

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