Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Many individuals believe that having a competetion at different stages of life such as in studies, career and even in daily routine is beneficial. Whereas others say that it is better to work together instead of trying to compete with each other. I personally agree with the notion that working with parteners is better.

To begin with, competing can result in beneficial outcomes to some people. When one puts themselves in a competition with others, he/she automatically have a goal in their mind which pushes them to work even harder. This can result in acheiving success because an individual has already given their best in order to win from their competitor. For instance, two toppers in a classroom feel that they want the first rank so they work even harder because he/she does no want the other student to get that position.

On the other hand, sometimes working together instead of competing with others can be more beneficial because teamwork can result in variety of ideas. Moreover, if a person gets confused about a certain topic then others help him/her in order to make their work better. For illustration, most of the corporate employees are grouped into a team of certain number which results in a better outcome from their work.

In conclusion, although competing with others can push individuals to work harder with a pressure to do better than others however cooperating with team members results to give more favourable outcomes. This is because it helps individual to fix the mistakes of each other and can provide variety of ideas related to the project.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the question and state your position clearly: “I personally agree” that working with partners is better. The competition paragraph gives a relevant reason—that rivalry can motivate people—and illustrates it with students seeking the top rank. The cooperation paragraph also explains benefits through shared ideas and help with difficult topics. This covers the task well, but some points are only briefly developed: the classroom example repeats the motivation point without showing its wider effects, while the corporate-team example does not explain how cooperation improves the outcome. To strengthen the response, develop each example with a specific consequence and make the comparison between the two approaches more explicit. Your conclusion reinforces your view, though its reasoning could be expressed more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow, and the reader can distinguish the argument for competition from your preferred view of cooperation. Some linking is mechanical, however, and the conclusion’s “although … however” construction makes the relationship between ideas awkward. There is also unclear referencing in places, such as “he/she” after “one,” and “their work” in the teamwork example. For stronger cohesion, use fewer formulaic transitions, connect examples directly to the claims they support, and make pronoun references unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “competition,” “competitor,” “teamwork,” “corporate employees,” and “favourable outcomes.” This gives you enough range to discuss both views, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural word combinations limit the accuracy and flexibility of your vocabulary: “competetion,” “acheiving,” “parteners,” “win from their competitor,” and “results to give” are examples. Some wording is also repetitive, particularly “work” and “better.” Aim to learn common collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe someone as “trying to outperform a rival” rather than “trying to win from” them. More precise vocabulary would make your arguments sound clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional phrasing (“if a person gets confused”) and contrast clauses (“although competing …”). The main ideas remain understandable, but errors in agreement, sentence construction, articles, and punctuation recur. For example, “he/she automatically have” should use a singular verb, and “a goal in their mind” needs a more natural article and reference. The opening “Whereas others say…” is a fragment, while the final sentence combines “although” and “however” in a faulty structure. These issues show that complex forms are being attempted but are not yet consistently controlled. Practise building complete sentences and checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation, especially in longer sentences.

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