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)

It is an undeniable fact that we, as humans, try to compete in all aspects of life be it work, at school and in daily life. Some people believe it to be a good thing while others are of the opinion that we should try to cooperate more rather than competing against each other. This essay will shed light on both the perspectives.

People compete with each other mainly at school or workplace. These institutions often encourage people to be competitive as it motivates them to push their boundries and perform better than others. People competing to create better products and solve various issues faced by the society is seen as a positive development. Some people believe this competitive spirit is essential for growth of all individuals. Various competitions are also organised to celebrate this very spirit.

On the other hand, a part of the society does not favour this idea and believe that we should try to cooperate more with each other. They believe competing against each other pressurizes individuals unnecessarily. Manier times it is observed that not everyone have a level ground to start with and hence the competition gets unfair.

People try to take down each other instead of focusing on winning. People competing to gain more wealth can lead to burnouts and even hatred or jealousy for others.

In my opinion, healthy competition favours human creativity and leads to a better world .

People should compete in areas that uplifts the society as a whole without having any personal enmity with others.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both perspectives and give a clear, if brief, opinion: competition can encourage creativity, while cooperation may reduce pressure and unfairness. Relevant examples include people developing better products and the risk of burnout or jealousy. However, several points are asserted rather than explained—for instance, the claim that competition helps individuals grow is not supported with a specific example, and the cooperation view is not developed into a clear account of its benefits. Your conclusion also gives only a short qualification. The response contains 235 words, so it is 15 words below the required minimum; the 21 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Develop each main idea with explanation or an example, and ensure the response meets the minimum length.

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 “On the other hand” and “In my opinion” help signal the direction of the argument. However, progression within the body paragraphs is limited: several claims are placed one after another without showing how they connect, and the final paragraph is very short. The phrase “People competing to create better products…” also lacks a clear link to the preceding sentence. Improve cohesion by grouping related points, using clear references to avoid repetition, and adding explanation between claims. A fuller conclusion that draws together the two views would make the overall progression more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “competitive spirit,” “cooperate,” “unnecessarily,” “burnouts,” and “jealousy,” which makes the main ideas understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “positive development.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “push their boundries,” “a level ground to start with,” and “take down each other.” Spelling errors such as “boundries” and “Manier” are noticeable, and some wording is repetitive, particularly repeated references to people competing. Choose more precise expressions and check spelling; this would make the argument clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including a complex opening with “while” and a contrast introduced by “On the other hand.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but errors in agreement and sentence construction recur. For example, “a part of the society … believe” should use a singular verb, and “not everyone have a level ground” has an agreement error as well as an unclear grammatical construction. The sentence beginning “People competing to create better products…” is also incomplete as written. There are some longer structures, but control is uneven. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and ensure each sentence has a complete main clause; then vary sentence patterns while keeping them accurate.

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