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)

Over decades it is widely argued by science that competing against each other in different domains of life such as school, orgainzation and for personal development is a very healthy idea. On the other hand, some believe that working together is a better option rather than being in a competition. In my perspective, both ideas have its own advantages and disadvantages.

Apparently, if we talk about competing then it has been helpful for people in developing various qualities. Such as competition improves motivation and productivity at school and organizational level. When students compete, it encourages them to push, focus and work hard to achieve that specific goal. It elevates their productivity which results in quality of work. Thus, all these reasons collectively help them to achieve greater results through resilience, problem-solving skills and character in life.

Whereas, competition also has some drawbacks. It is scientifically studied that competition creates pressure among peers which can cause stress and burnout. Secondly, when one colleague does not perform better, it can lead to low self-esteem and unhealthy comparisons which can also trigger anxiety and mental fatigue. moreover, students

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response introduces both competition and cooperation and gives a relevant account of competition’s benefits and drawbacks, including motivation, productivity, stress, and low self-esteem. However, it does not develop the cooperation view or provide a clear, sustained answer to the instruction to discuss both views and give an opinion. The statement that “both ideas have its own advantages and disadvantages” is too general to establish a specific position, and the response ends mid-sentence after “moreover, students,” leaving the discussion incomplete. The response is also below the required 250 words. To improve, explain how cooperation benefits people, compare the two approaches, and state and support your own view with a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation: the opening introduces the topic, and the next paragraphs move from benefits of competition to its drawbacks. Linking expressions such as “On the other hand,” “Thus,” and “Secondly” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is limited because the cooperation perspective is announced but not developed, and the final paragraph breaks off mid-sentence, so the response has no conclusion. Some transitions are also awkward: “Whereas” begins a paragraph without completing a clear contrast, while “Such as” creates a sentence fragment after the preceding statement. Build a complete paragraph for each view, use transitions that connect full ideas, and finish with a concise conclusion stating your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a reasonably varied set of topic-related vocabulary, including “motivation,” “productivity,” “resilience,” “problem-solving skills,” “burnout,” and “self-esteem.” These choices make the main points understandable and show attempts to use more specific language than basic everyday terms. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “argued by science,” “at organizational level,” and “achieve that specific goal.” There is also a spelling error in “orgainzation,” and “healthy idea” is imprecise in this context. Aim for more natural academic collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, use “research suggests,” “in the workplace,” and “reach a particular goal.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mixture of simple and more complex structures, including conditional and relative clauses in “When students compete, it encourages them…” and “which can cause stress and burnout.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable. However, there are recurring errors in agreement and sentence construction. In “both ideas have its own advantages,” the pronoun does not agree with the plural subject; “Such as competition improves…” is a fragment; and “When students compete, it encourages them” shifts from plural “students” to singular “it.” The final sentence is incomplete, and the comma after “moreover” should be followed by a capital letter. Practise complete sentence structures, consistent subject–verb agreement, and accurate punctuation while retaining your attempts at complex clauses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.