Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-13

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)

It is often argued that rivalry in professional and personal life is beneficial. Whereas, many believe that we should be more professional, rather than competing one another.

From my perspective, competing with your peers, weather in professional or personal life is certainly benefitial, if done with right intentions. It helps you to upgrade you professional skills, knowledge and overall personality. Sometimes, people inspire you in a way that you want to be like them. For example, In my college days, I lacked presentation skills I get nervous and could not exaplin the content properly. One of my friend on the other hand, was so exceptional, he used to dilever presentation fluently and confidently. He inspired me so much that i started to comopete with him in a healthy way. By the end of the degree I had improved exceptionally, that my friends could not believe. So that is why, i believe competing with your peers is beneficial.

On the other hand, cooperating more with your fellows also has a significant positive impact, as it allows you to grow as a team, rather than just imporving yourself. For example, if a team is working onva project and everyone is competing to dilever there tasks only and to get better reputation

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You present a relevant opinion that competition can be beneficial, and the college presentation example gives this view some personal support. You also introduce the opposing view by saying cooperation helps people grow as a team. However, the response addresses the task only partially: the cooperation discussion stops mid-sentence, so its benefits are not explained or supported, and there is no conclusion that weighs both views or restates your position. The opening also describes cooperation as being “more professional,” which does not clearly express the task’s contrast between cooperating and competing. The response is 41 words below the required minimum, leaving too little space to develop both sides. Complete the cooperation example and explain your final judgement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: the opening introduces the topic, the first main paragraph develops competition, and “On the other hand” signals a shift to cooperation. The example about improving presentation skills also follows a generally understandable sequence. However, overall progression is incomplete because the response ends during the cooperation example (“to get better reputation”), without finishing the idea or providing a conclusion. Some links are awkward or unclear, including “Whereas” at the start of a sentence and “So that is why,” which repeats the same concluding function. Use complete paragraphs for each view, connect examples explicitly to the argument, and add a final paragraph that summarises your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “rivalry,” “cooperating,” “presentation skills,” and “healthy way,” and the personal example is understandable. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors make the writing less clear or natural. For instance, “competing one another” is not the usual expression, “upgrade you professional skills” is awkward, and “dilever” and “exaplin” are misspelled. “Get better reputation” also needs a more natural phrase. Aim for accurate topic-specific expressions such as “compete with one another,” “develop professional skills,” and “earn a stronger reputation.” Proofreading spelling and checking common word combinations would make your meaning easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, such as “Whereas, many believe…” and the sentence beginning “For example,” which shows some range. The main point in the college example can generally be understood. However, sentence boundaries and grammatical control are inconsistent. “Whereas” is used as a sentence opener without a complete contrasting clause, while “I lacked presentation skills I get nervous” joins clauses without appropriate punctuation or a conjunction. There are also errors in agreement and sentence construction, as in “One of my friend … was so exceptional, he used to…,” and the final sentence is unfinished. Practise separating complete clauses, using accurate verb forms, and checking articles and agreement; these changes would make your ideas clearer.

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