Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-16

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)

In our society, many of individuals hold the view that competition in different fields such as work, school, and daily life is a positive approach. Meanwhile, some of them think that we should live mutually instead of competing with each other. I firmly believe that competition is an optimal approach in order to thrive in particular field.

On the one hand, competition is a factor that keeps every human being to stay active and persistent in their work. At schools, children compete with each other and focus on getting high grades than other students. This allows them to be more consistent in their academics and do hardwork. Similarly, at work places, each employ try to work hard and build better reputation in the institute. Although, it's the matter of salaries but they always try to represent better than others. Therefore, this thing allows to grow unconsciously to every human being.

On the other hand, proponents of the view that everyone should try to cooperate, they think that competing against each other gives birth to bad qualities in a person. Because when someone think to compete with other, it will build jealousy, grudge, and negative views against that person. That's the primary reason, therefore, they believe that eveyone should live prosperously and cooperate with each other.

In light of the above discussion, it can be concluded that, compeitition is a positive thing but if you look it from positive aspects. People should compete against each other in order to get succeed, not to show inferior to someone else.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both perspectives and state a clear preference for competition, especially in the introduction and conclusion. The examples about students seeking high grades and employees trying to build a reputation are relevant and help explain how competition can motivate effort. However, the cooperative view is less fully addressed: you mainly say competition can create jealousy and resentment, without explaining how cooperation benefits people or giving a concrete example. Your own position also needs more qualification and development; the final point that people should compete without making others feel inferior is promising but is not explored. Develop both sides more evenly and support your opinion with specific reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Phrases such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In light of the above discussion” make the intended stages clear. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weak: the first body paragraph moves from school to work and then to an unclear claim about people growing “unconsciously,” while the second repeats the idea of negative feelings without developing it. Some linking is mechanical or inaccurate, as in “Although, it's the matter of salaries” and “Therefore, this thing.” Use clearer links between each claim and its explanation, and make references such as “this thing” more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “competition,” “cooperate,” “persistent,” “reputation,” and “jealousy,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, which makes parts of the argument less clear. For example, “live mutually,” “do hardwork,” “gives birth to bad qualities,” and “get succeed” do not express the intended meanings naturally. There are also spelling errors such as “eveyone” and “compeitition.” Aim for accurate, natural combinations rather than inserting formal-sounding phrases; learning vocabulary in collocations will help you express the same ideas more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a contrast clause beginning “Although” and a reason clause beginning “Because.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “keeps every human being to stay active,” “each employ try,” and “when someone think,” where verb patterns or subject–verb agreement are incorrect. The sentence beginning “Although” is also incomplete, and the final sentence has an incorrect infinitive construction in “in order to get succeed.” Practise building accurate clauses first, checking agreement and verb forms, and then combine them using conjunctions. Clearer sentence boundaries and punctuation would also improve readability.

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.