Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Many people believe that a competitive environment at work, school or in daily life is a great thing. On the other hand, another group of people believe otherwise. They prefer cooperating over competing against each other. I believe a healthy competition is harmless and improve quality and productivity at every stage of life.

People who advocate the competition believe that without it, people would not have any motivation to grow. It is a major source of motivation to keep students and employees do their duties more efficiently. For instance, if there is no competitive environment at school, students won't have any drive to study. Many students take their studies seriously because of the peer pressure. Similarly, employees at an organization compete with each other at various stages like promotion boards. No competition means no improvement in their performance as they won't feel any need to get better. Likewise, people also take challenge in their life when they are competing with others to improve their quality of life. Therefore, a healthy competition is necessary for people to work for improvement.

However, I do concede that sometimes competition might also create a feeling of disappointment among people when their desires are not fulfilled. For example, we see that people get often involved in a rat race while trying to leave others behind. This creates a feeling of hatred towards others and dissatifisaction among people if they do not get what they want. In my opinion, a competition is necessary but it must be healthy without letting others down. People can cooperate together and compete as well as long as they do not enter into a rat race.

In conclusion, an atmosphere of healthy competition is necessary to keep people motivated and also harmless unless there is a feeling of jealousy towards others. People can work for improvement in their life without hurting others.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both perspectives and state a clear view: healthy competition can improve motivation and productivity, provided it does not become harmful. The examples of students responding to peer pressure and employees seeking promotion are relevant and help explain the benefits. You also acknowledge disappointment and hostility as possible consequences. However, the cooperation side is less fully addressed: it is mainly mentioned as a way to avoid a “rat race,” without explaining what cooperation achieves or giving a concrete example. Some claims, such as “No competition means no improvement,” are too absolute and need qualification. Develop the benefits of cooperation and support your position with more balanced reasoning to address all parts of the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate discussion of benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. Paragraphs generally have a central focus, and signposts such as “On the other hand,” “However,” and “In conclusion” make the direction easy to follow. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated “Similarly,” “Likewise,” and “Therefore.” There are also places where the relationship between ideas could be clearer: the paragraph about competition moves from motivation to promotion and then to quality of life without fully developing the connections. The conclusion largely repeats the introduction rather than drawing together both views. Use fewer formulaic transitions and make the progression between claims and examples more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “peer pressure,” “productivity,” “rat race,” and “disappointment.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and the meaning is generally clear. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “take challenge in their life,” “a feeling of hatred towards others,” and “dissatifisaction.” The repeated use of “competition,” “people,” and “improvement” also limits flexibility. Aim for more precise phrasing and check spelling carefully; for example, describe people as “taking on challenges” and use “dissatisfaction.” A broader range of terms for cooperation and its benefits would also help you discuss both sides with greater precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “if there is no competitive environment at school” and clauses beginning with “when” and “while.” Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and errors rarely obstruct understanding. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, however. In the opening, “a healthy competition … improve” has a subject–verb agreement error; use “competition … improves.” In “keep students and employees do their duties,” the verb pattern should be “keep … doing” or “motivate … to do.” The sentence “people get often involved” also has awkward adverb placement. Review agreement, verb patterns, and adverb position, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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