Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-15

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)

Competition in any aspect of life can have various pros and cons. From the day we are a school kid to our daily life, it shapes us as a person. Cooperation on the other hand also drives positive results for many people.

Healthy competition in school brings good result and develops personality of a child. All the great leaders around the world had competative spirit which made them standout from the crowd. Competition makes a person disciplined and well organised also helps achieve goals faster. It does not mean competing against a person, it can also be defeating your ego, procrastination and bad habits. In this way it is a wise approach to be competative as it keeps a person going in his/ her life.

The belief that cooperation is good is a positive thing but it is an idealistic mindset as we humans are born as competative species. Our survival instinst brings us in the state of competition. Cooperation in daily life makes us kind and empathetic but it does not work in all social settings and every personality type.

For exmaple, joining a talent hackthon the teams need to be competative rather than cooperative. A chess player has to be competative and cooperation does not apply for the apponents.

In my opinion a healthy balance between cooperation and competition is essential. As a student I am a competative candiate for any scholarship program but I also cooperate with my fellows guiding them about their applications.

In conclusion both competition and cooperation are like two wheels of a bicycle and as humans we must keep a balance between both in order to maximize the results of our work and overall quality of life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the discussion and give a clear personal view: the conclusion calls for balance, and the scholarship example shows how competition and cooperation can coexist. Your points about discipline, empathy and personal development are relevant. However, the two perspectives are not explored equally in depth. The case for competition receives several claims, while cooperation is mainly described as making people kind and empathetic, followed by a broad claim that it does not suit every setting. The hackathon and chess examples are also not fully explained, and the hackathon example does not clearly show why teams should compete rather than cooperate. Develop each view with a specific explanation and example to make the discussion more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for competition, cooperation, your opinion and the conclusion. The overall progression from the two views to a balanced position is understandable. However, links between ideas are sometimes abrupt: “For example” introduces the hackathon and chess points in a separate short paragraph without clearly connecting them to the preceding discussion. The contrast between cooperation and competition could also be signposted more precisely, and the conclusion repeats the balance idea rather than drawing together the main reasons. Use clearer topic sentences and explain how each example supports the paragraph’s central point. This would make the organisation feel more continuous and the connections less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “disciplined,” “empathetic,” “procrastination” and “survival instinct,” which helps express several aspects of the topic. Some phrases are also appropriate to an argumentative essay, such as “healthy balance.” However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural word choices are noticeable, including “competative,” “standout,” “instinst” and “appontents.” Phrases such as “born as competitive species” and “a competitive candidate for any scholarship program” are not expressed naturally in context. These issues do not prevent the reader from following your main ideas, but they limit precision. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations, such as “foster cooperation” and “compete for a scholarship.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and more developed sentence forms, and most of the meaning remains clear. For instance, “In my opinion a healthy balance between cooperation and competition is essential” states your position directly, while the final sentence attempts a more complex structure. Some grammatical errors remain. In “From the day we are a school kid,” the singular noun does not agree with “we,” and the phrasing needs a suitable article or plural form. “Healthy competition in school brings good result” also has a number error, while “Competition makes a person disciplined and well organised also helps achieve goals faster” needs clearer coordination between its verbs. Review agreement, articles and sentence boundaries, and punctuate introductory phrases such as “In my opinion” with a comma.

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