Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-14

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)

On the other hand, Individuals believe that cooperate with each other is better than to compete with each other. collaboration plays a vital role in problem solving and society building. In school and work settings, rivalry on winning can create a toxic environment. leading to high stress, anxiety and lack of trust. IN Contrast, a cooperative atmosphere can promote building a trust, emotional support and good connection between them.

In conclusion, although competition has its own advantages in promoting excellence and efficiency, it should not come at the cost of mutual support. In my opinion, cooperation is very crucial for betterment of our society, while competition can be encouraged to provide a motivation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response gives a relevant opinion: cooperation is described as important for society, while competition can motivate people. It also briefly addresses both sides, noting competition’s role in “promoting excellence and efficiency” and the stress that rivalry may cause. However, the discussion is minimal: the benefits of competition are asserted rather than explained, and the cooperation argument has no specific example or developed support. The response also contains only 113 words, so it does not meet the required minimum of 250. As a result, the task is addressed only partially and the ideas remain substantially under-developed. To improve, explain each view with reasons and a concrete example, then make your position clear throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic overall shape: the first paragraph discusses cooperation and the conclusion states a balanced position. Linking expressions such as “On the other hand,” “In contrast,” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships between ideas. However, the opening phrase “On the other hand” refers to a contrast that has not been established in the response, and the essay moves directly from one short discussion to its conclusion without a paragraph presenting the case for competition. The sentence fragment beginning “leading to high stress” also interrupts the flow. Develop a clear sequence—introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion—and use linking phrases only where the relationship between ideas is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses some relevant topic vocabulary, including “collaboration,” “rivalry,” “toxic environment,” “emotional support,” and “mutual support.” These choices show an attempt to discuss the topic beyond very basic language. However, the range is narrow for the task, and several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “rivalry on winning,” “building a trust,” and “provide a motivation.” Repetition of “cooperate,” “competition,” and “each other” also limits flexibility. Aim for more natural collocations and a wider range of precise terms, for example, “competitive pressure,” “foster trust,” and “serve as an incentive.” This would make the argument clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and some attempts at more complex structures, such as “although competition has its own advantages … it should not come at the cost of mutual support.” Meaning is generally understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. “Individuals believe that cooperate with each other is better” has an incorrect clause structure; use “believe that cooperating with each other is better.” “Leading to high stress…” is a sentence fragment, and “a cooperative atmosphere can promote building a trust” contains an unnecessary article and an awkward grammatical pattern. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “IN Contrast” and the full stop before “leading.” Practise complete sentence construction and check articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries.

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