Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

It is widely argued that competition at work, at school and in daily life is a good thing whilst others believe that we should try to cooperate more, rather than competing against each other.

Competing in professional, academic and daily life can be beneficial as it motivates people to work hard to achieve their goals. When people see their friends, colleagues and their family members excelling in their career through hardwork it makes them want to reach their level so they compete against each other as a result it might help them to succeed. Moreover, competitng against each other can also help a person become disciplined as he has to be responsible to be succeed in life. For instance, a person sees his friends and colleagues working hard and so to succeed he would try to compete againt them.

On the other hand, cooperating with one another is more important. If a person would just compete against one another and not cooperate more with his friends and colleagues it would create a stressful environment which can also hinder growth. In order to help one another there should be more cooperation between employees and friends. It would motivate people more and reduce stress in both professional and academic environment. Furthermore, to cooperate with one another is every day life is also very crucial like helping each other in daily life activities. For example, cooperating and motivating your friends and colleagues to succeed at something.

In my opinion, cooperating and competition are important but cooperating with one another slightly outweighs the competing factor. One should compete but also try to help his friends and colleagues to succeed in life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both sides and give a clear, if brief, opinion: competition can motivate people, while cooperation reduces stress and supports others. These points are relevant, but several are asserted rather than explained. For example, the claim that competition builds discipline is not developed, and the cooperation examples largely repeat the idea of helping friends and colleagues. The conclusion says cooperation “slightly outweighs” competition, but could explain more directly why. The response is also 248 words, two words below the required minimum; the 29 words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop one or two examples with clearer consequences and ensure the response meets the minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a concluding opinion. Transitions such as “Moreover,” “On the other hand,” and “In my opinion” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive: the competition paragraph returns several times to people working hard to succeed, while the cooperation paragraph repeats the idea of helping friends and colleagues. Some links are also awkward or unclear, particularly “as a result it might help them to succeed” and the final example, which does not clearly extend the preceding point. Organise each paragraph around one main claim, then explain it and give a specific example, using references that make clear who is acting.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “competition,” “cooperate,” “disciplined,” “stressful environment,” and “hinder growth.” However, the range is limited and several words or phrases recur, especially “friends and colleagues,” “succeed,” and “compete.” Some choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “excelling in their career,” “competing factor,” and “cooperate with one another is every day life.” Spelling errors are also noticeable, including “hardwork,” “competitng,” and “againt.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and fluency. Aim for more varied, natural expressions and check spelling carefully; vocabulary suggestions below offer practical alternatives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “If a person would just compete…” and clauses introduced by “as” and “which.” Meaning is generally understandable, but errors in sentence construction and verb forms recur. For example, “it makes them want to reach their level so they compete” joins ideas without clear punctuation, and “he has to be responsible to be succeed” uses an incorrect verb pattern. The sentence beginning “Furthermore, to cooperate…” is also structurally unclear. There is some control of basic sentence forms, but complex attempts are not consistently accurate. Practise verb patterns after “to” and “have to,” and divide long sentences into clearer units with appropriate punctuation.

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